LOS ANGELES, Calif. — After entering the game's second half facing a double-figure deficit, the Texas State women's basketball team became flipped a switch and began to fight back. Over the next 20 minutes, the Bobcats displayed their heart before ultimately falling to Loyola Marymount 77-68.
A pair of free throws by Ariel Johnson pushed Loyola Marymount's lead to 22 with 4:52 remaining in the third quarter, but an 8-0 run by Texas State over the next two minutes cut the deficit to 14. Over the final two minutes of the quarter, the Bobcats shaved a 16-point deficit to all the way down to nine as a
Chelsea Johnson layup with eight seconds to show capped a 9-2 run and put the finishing touches on a third quarter that saw Texas State outscore its opponent 23-18.
The momentum carried over into the fourth quarter when
Kennedy Taylor sank a 3-point attempt less than 40 seconds into the quarter and made it a 6-point contest. A quick scoring run by the Lions pushed their lead back to 11 with 8:30 left to play. But a 5-0 scoring run by Taylor cut it back to six.
With 2:33 left in the game,
Lauryn Thompson converted the backend of two free throw attempts to make it a one-possession game at 67-64. Loyola Marymount sank a 3-pointer nine seconds later, but
Ja'Kayla Bowie answered to make it a 3-point game, again. However, an Ariel Johnson 3-pointer seconds later pushed the Lions' lead back to six and late-game free throws seal the outcome.
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY QUARTER
- 1st | Loyola Marymount 25, Texas State 17
- 2nd | Loyola Marymount 42, Texas State 28
- 3rd | Loyola Marymount 60, Texas State 51
- 4th | Loyola Marymount 77, Texas State 68
MATCH NOTES
- For the second time in Texas State's last three games, a Bobcat finished a rebound shy of a double-double. Against UTEP to open the week on Monday, Dec. 13, Ja'Kayla Bowie scored 13 points and brought down nine rebounds. Five days later, Lauryn Thompson finished the Bobcats' game at Loyola Marymount with 12 points and nine rebounds.
- Saturday's action at Loyola Marymount marked the first basketball game for Tianna Eaton, a Walnut, Calif., native, in her home state since March 20, 2019, when she was a member of the UC Riverside women's basketball program.
- For the third time in its last four games, a Bobcat finished a basketball contest with double-digit free throw attempts. Against Lamar and UTEP, senior guard Kennedy Taylor shot 13 and 10 free throws, then, against Loyola Marymount, Lauryn Thompson attempted 12 shots from the free throw line.
UP NEXT
- Texas State will conclude its two-game swing through the state of California when the Bobcats travel to San Diego to play San Diego inside the Jenny Craig Pavillion at 4 p.m. CT, Tuesday, Dec. 21
- For the latest information on the team, follow @TXStateWBB on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. General athletic news can also be at @TxStateBobcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
