LAFAYETTE, La. – Texas State split the weekend at Louisiana after avenging the previous overtime loss with a 71-59 victory Saturday afternoon at the Cajundome. The win snaps Louisiana's seven-game winning streak, marks the second victory at the Cajundome in program history, and is the first Sun Belt Conference win for interim head coach Terrence Johnson.
 

It was a tightly contested game throughout the first half and through the early part of the second half before the Bobcats (7-4, 1-1 Sun Belt) separated themselves with an 18-9 run in the second half. TXST shot a season-high 60.0 percent from the floor (27-of-45) and 78.6 percent from the free-throw line (11-0f-14) while holding the Ragin' Cajuns (7-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) roughly 20 points below their season average as they finished the game shooting 34.6 percent from the field (18-of-52), and 28.6 percent from 3-point range (6-of-21). Louisiana was a perfect 17-of-17 at the free-throw line. 
 

"All conference wins are big, but road wins in conference seem to carry more weight," said coach Johnson. "You cannot win on the road in this league without some grit and toughness. We were not perfect, but we never lacked grit or toughness. This was a total team effort, but the combination of Isiah Small and Quentin Scott made a huge difference in the game. We did a better job finishing plays tonight on the defensive end, and offensively, we moved the ball well and took good shots. That shows growth, trust, and belief in the system and each other. I am extremely proud of this group. They are growing up right in front of our eyes. We will enjoy this win tonight and then rehab and regroup for another tough opponent next week." 

For the second consecutive game, senior forward Isiah Small led the Bobcats in scoring with 18 points (8-of-9), including one 3-pointer. Small also totaled four rebounds, one assist, and one block. Junior guard Caleb Asberry was next with 12 points, all coming in the second half, and he matched a career-best four assists. Junior guard Mason Harrell and senior forward Quentin Scott both recorded 10 points in the game to round out the Bobcats' double-figure scorers. Harrell also contributed a new career-high four steals and had four rebounds and two assists. Scott added three rebounds and one steal. 
 

The Ragin' Cajuns were led by sophomore guard Mylik Wilson's 14 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Senior guard Cedric Russell was the only double-digit scorer for the home team with 11 points. He also had three rebounds and two assists. TXST clamped down on sophomore guard Devin Butts who scored 22 points on six made 3-pointers in the series opener to just two points on 0-of-7 shooting and was 0-of-5 from 3-point range (2-of-2 at the free-throw line).
 

FIRST HALF
It was a low-scoring first half that ended in a 24-24 tie. The Ragin' Cajuns had a fast start and used a 7-0 run to build a 12-5 lead at the 11:56 mark. The Bobcats cut into the lead with five unanswered points highlighted by Davis' 3-pointer, but Louisiana responded by scoring five of the next seven points to take a 17-10 lead with 7:26 left on the clock. From there, TXST closed the half on a 12-7 run and held Louisiana to 1-of-8 shooting from the floor to close the frame. Small led the team with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting, including one 3-point field goal. He also had three rebounds and one block in the half.
 

SECOND HALF
The Bobcats took their first lead of the game at 30-28 after a pair of free-throws from Adams, but both teams found themselves tied at 34 at the 15:37 mark. TXST hit another gear in the next segment of play and went on a 10-5 run to take a 44-39 lead with 11:31 on the clock, and then went on an 18-9 run to build a 62-48 advantage with 4:40 left to play. The Bobcats led by as many as 16 points, but the Ragin' Cajuns made one final push and went on a 9-0 run to cut the lead to seven, 66-59 with 1:16 remaining on the clock. It was too late though, as the Bobcats closed the game with a 5-0 run, shooting 5-of-6 from the stripe to seal the win. 
 

NOTABLES
• Texas State is now 6-1 when scoring 70-plus points and 3-0 when holding their opponent to less than 60 points.
• The Bobcats scored 47 points in the second half, which is tied for the most points this season in a single half vs. a Division I opponent (at Denver).
• This is the second consecutive game that Texas State registered 20 or more assists.
• The Bobcats won the rebounding battle (29-22), points off turnovers (18-12), bench points (26-17), and points in the paint (28-18).
• The Bobcats improve to 5-1 when four players score 10 or more points.
• Isiah Small recorded his 12th career game with TXST scoring 10 or more points (fifth this season).
• Caleb Asberry registered his 18th career game with TXST scoring 10 or more points (eighth this season).
• Mason Harrell extends his streak to 11 games with 10 or more points. 
• Quentin Scott's 10 points is a season-high.
• Graduate guard Marlin Davis finished the game with eight points, a game-high seven assists, and four rebounds. Davis totaled 18 assists in the two games this weekend. 
 

UP NEXT
Texas State looks ahead to its conference home-opening series against Arkansas State Jan. 8-9 at Strahan Arena.
 

The Bobcats have moved all of their Friday contests to 4 p.m. and will also play at 4 p.m. on Saturdays.
 

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