SAN MARCOS, Texas– The Texas State men's basketball team will conclude its six-game road trip with a pair of contests at ULM on Jan. 22-23 at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, La. The two-game series will begin at 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 22, followed by a 4 p.m. tip on Saturday, Jan. 23.
The Bobcats (9-4, 3-1 Sun Belt) enter the weekend with the league's longest winning streak (three games) and have won six of their last seven contests, including last week's sweep over the reigning Sun Belt Conference Champions, Little Rock. TXST is ranks No. 21 in the CIT Mid-Major Top 25 Poll behind a solid defense that ranks No. 40 in the NCAA and No. 2 in the Sun Belt with a 63.5 scoring defense. They have held their opponents below 60 points in three consecutive games and rank third in the league with 16.3 forced turnovers this season. Offensively, the team has scored 70 or more points in four of their last six games behind a 47.2 field goal percentage (No. 61 in the NCAA, No. 6 in the Sun Belt) and .370 clip from behind-the-arc (No. 4 in the Sun Belt). TXST averages 67.4 points per game.
Junior guards Caleb Asberry and Mason Harrell leads the Bobcats with 13.3 points per game tied at No. 17 in the Sun Belt.
Asberry is this week's Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week after leading the Bobcats with 20.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals in the Little Rock sweep. Since joining the starting lineup, Asberry is averaging 18.3 points over a seven-game stretch and is averaging 16.0 points behind a 55.8 field goal percentage and 54.2 3-point field goal percentage in conference play.
Harrell ranks second in the conference with 35.1 minutes on average (No. 60 in the NCAA) and is shooting 43.8 percent from the field, 41.7 percent from behind-the-arc (No. 13 in the Sun Belt), and 81.8 percent from the charity stripe (No. 5 in the Sun Belt).
Senior forward Isiah Small averages 9.2 points per game and leads the Bobcats with 5.9 rebounds (No. 12 in the Sun Belt) and 1.5 blocks per game (No. 5 in the Sun Belt). Small, who also sits 10th in the conference with a 53.8 field goal percentage, is second on the team averaging 14.0 points in conference games and if 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Finally, graduate guard Marlin Davis is standing out in conference play as he averages 6.7 points and leads the team with 7.7 assists, 6.7 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. Davis is coming off his first double-double this season (third of his career) where he scorched the Trojans with 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds (Jan. 15).
SCOUTING ULM
After opening Sun Belt Conference play with a pair of victories, The WarHawks (4-9, 2-4 Sun Belt) are nursing a four-game losing streak and are 3-5 on their home floor this season. ULM is averaging 67.2 points per game (No. 11 in the Sun Belt) and give up 71.6 points on average to their opponents (No. 7 in the Sun Belt).
Russell Harrison leads the team with 13.8 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. Harrison also has 27 assists and 20 steals this season. Koreem Ozier leads the team with 13.8 points behind a 46.9 field goal percentage and 46.8 3-point field goal percentage which ranks No. 5 in the Sun Belt. Ozier also averages 4.5 rebounds.
ALL-TIME SERIES
ULM leads Texas State in the all-time series 30-25, but the Bobcats have won six of the last eight meetings against the WarHawks. Last season, TXST swept ULM with a 64-63 win in Monroe (Jan. 16, 2020) and a 71-51 win in San Marcos (Jan. 30, 2020).
CHALK TALK
The Texas State men's basketball staff will be hosting Chalk Talk. Chalk Talk will be a presentation by one of the coaching staff members, followed by a meet and greet. Light refreshments will be provided. Chalk Talk will be before each non-conference home game, the UT Arlington game on Feb. 13, 2021, and all Friday home games. For more information about joining the tip-in club, call 512-245-3832.
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