SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State's five-game winning streak ended as Louisiana picked up its fourth straight win with a tight 62-60 victory Friday evening at Strahan Arena.
Although the Bobcats (11-5, 5-2 Sun Belt) outrebounded the Ragin' Cajuns (12-4, 6-3 Sun Belt) 41-33, including a 16-5 edge on the offensive glass, and outscored the visiting team 36-31 in the second half, TXST was unable to overcome a first-half slump that saw the home team shoot 9-of-26 from the floor and 0-of-11 performance from behind-the-arc.
"We played tight tonight," said interim head coach Terrence Johnson. "We were too up-and-down. Very emotional tonight, which is often the case when you put a ton of pressure on yourself to perform at a high level. This game is not anyone's fault. The guys really wanted it and were excited to be back home after being on the road for over a month. But we needed to relax more. We felt rushed in the first half. We did better in the second half, and more shots fell. We were there in the game and lost by two points. So, we will watch the film and make some tweaks, but we need to relax and stick to our style of playing basketball. Because against this team [Louisiana] the types of shots you take matter."
Junior guard Mason Harrell led the Bobcats with 14 points (5-of-12) and matched a career-high five rebounds for the second time this season and the fourth time in his career. Harrell also paced the team with three assists. Junior forward Alonzo Sule scored 11 points, pulled down four rebounds, and led the team with two blocks. It was Sule's fifth game this year with 10 or more points (22nd of career) and third multi-block game of the year (7th of career).
Senior guard Cedric Russell led all scorers with 21 points, shooting 7-of-15 from the field that included three 3-pointers, and added five rebounds and a steal. Senior forward Dou Gueye registered a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with a team-high two assists.
FIRST HALF
Louisiana jumped out to an early 8-3 lead, but the Bobcats trimmed the deficit to 10-8 at the 11:19 mark. Each team traded runs, but the Ragin' Cajuns held the 14-10 edge by the final media timeout of the stanza and led 24-18 with the clock reading 2:28. La. ultimately went into the half with a 31-24 lead over the Bobcats. Texas State was led by Sule's 11 points on 3-of-3 shooting. He also added one block and one steal.
SECOND HALF
Texas State came out of the gates with a 7-0 run highlighted by the team's first 3-pointer from senior forward Isiah Small to tie the game at 31. The Ragin' Cajuns answered with six unanswered points until junior guard Caleb Asberry struck with a triple from the wing, making it a three-point game 37-34, Louisiana, with 15:53 on the clock. Out of the timeout, Harrell went on a personal 4-0 run, and the Bobcats took their first and only lead of the game, 38-37. The Ragin' Cajuns answered again as Russell stopped the run with a jumper that sparked a 5-0 run that led to a 7-2 margin, giving the visiting team a 44-40 advantage. The Bobcats tied the game again with buckets from senior forward Quentin Scott and freshman forward Nate Martin, respectively, but Louisiana scored eight of the next nine points to buffer its lead 52-45 with 3:36 left to play. Down the stretch, the Bobcats outscored the Ragin' Cajuns 15-10 but could only pull within three points until Harrell's layup with five tics remaining made the score 62-60.
NOTABLES
• Texas State outrebounded Louisiana 41-33, including a 16-5 advantage on the offensive glass. The Bobcats have seven total games this season with double-figure offensive rebounding games; five total against Division I opponents.
• The Bobcats are 8-2 overall (4-1 in the Sun Belt) when outrebounding their opponent.
• TXST is now 11-3 overall when holding their opponents below 70 points.
• Texas State outscored Louisiana in points off turnovers (14-5) and bench points (16-14).
• Both teams scored 30 points in the paint.
UP NEXT
The four-game regular-season series vs. Louisiana will conclude with a 4 p.m. tomorrow, Jan. 30 at Strahan Arena.
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