ARLINGTON, Texas – Junior guard Mason Harrell led the Texas State with 19 points in the 63-56 decision Thursday night at the College Park Center. With the victory, interim head coach Terrence Johnson has won more games as a first-year men's basketball head coach at Texas State in the Division I era (14). 

As the Bobcats (14-6, 8-3 Sun Belt) won their third consecutive game, they snapped the Mavericks (11-10, 7-6 Sun Belt) three-game winning streak and has now won back-to-back games in Arlington for the first time since 2009-10 and for just the third time in the 75-game series. The Bobcats pieced together a 20-4 run that spanned across both halves, and although UTA tied the game twice in the later stages of the second half, TXST never relinquished its lead. The Bobcats shot 41.8 percent from the floor while holding the Mavericks to a .368 clip. 

"It was what you would expect a rival game to be," said coach Johnson. "It was tough and hard throughout the game. I thought our guys put on a gutsy performance, starting with Shelby Adams and Mason Harrell. Their impact on the defensive end set the tone for us tonight. I am extremely proud of our guys for meeting the challenge tonight. This is not an easy place to win, and UTA is a good team."  

In addition to his 19 points, Harrell logged a career-high six rebounds and matched a career-best seven assists. Junior guard Caleb Asberry and senior forward Alonzo Sule turned in 12 points each in the win. Asberry tallied five rebounds, two steals, and a block, while Sule had six rebounds and one steal.  

Junior guard Sharada Wells had a game-high 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. Wells also had four assists, three rebounds, and two steals. Sophomore guard Nicolas Elame followed with 17 points (6-of-10) and led the team with six rebounds and four assists.

FIRST HALF
The Bobcats used a 7-0 run to take a 13-8 lead, highlight by a personal 5-0 run from Asberry with 11 minutes on the clock. UTA responded with six unanswered points before Harrell knocked down a stepback-rainbow triple, and both teams went into the media timeout tied at 16 with 6:59 on the clock. Both teams traded baskets before UTA's sophomore guard Sam Griffin nailed a 3-pointer to spark a UTA 5-2 run, but consecutive long balls from Harrell and Asberry ignited a 10-0 run, giving the Bobcats a 30-24 advantage. By the end of the half, the Bobcats were on a 16-3 run, was 6-of-6 from the floor, and held UTA scoreless for the final three minutes to hold a 36-27 lead at the break. Asberry led the team with 10 points, followed by eight points each from seniors Shelby Adams and Alonzo Sule.  

SECOND HALF 
Texas State continued its run from the first half for an overall 20-4 margin and led 40-28, the largest of the game. TXST cooled down, and UTA took advantage as they trimmed the lead to seven at the 13:49 mark, and although consecutive buckets from Harrell pushed the lead back to double figures, UTA pushed back and made it a one-point game, 46-45 behind a 12-2 run with 7:08 remaining on the clock. Moments later, a personal 5-0 run by Wells tied the game at 50, and the teams tied again at 52, but TXST did not give up the lead, and Sule found a bucket in the paint to keep the Bobcats ahead 54-52 with 3:32 remaining in the game. After the media timeout, Harrell connected on his third triple of the game, and Texas State closed the game on an 11-4 run, highlighted by a 9-0 burst for the 63-56 win.    

NOTABLES
• Overall, Coach Johnson has the fourth-most victories in program history as a first-year head coach. He is one win shy of tying the late Vernon McDonald, who had 15 wins in 1962.
• UTA out-rebounded TXST 36-34. The Bobcats did have 10 offensive rebounds, marking the ninth time this season that they have registered 10 or more offensive rebounds in a game (7 vs. Division I opponents).
• The Bobcats forced 16 turnovers and turned that into 23 points. 
• Texas State dominated the paint points, 34-18. 
• UTA had 12 offensive rebounds and outscored TXST in second-chance points, 10-4.
• UTA had eight blocks in the game but had just nine assists out of their 21 made field goals. 
• Both teams totaled nine bench points.  
• TXST is 11-1 when leading at the half, and UTA is 3-9 when trailing at the half this season. 
• The Bobcats are 8-0 this season when their opponents shoot less than 40.0 percent from the floor and are 7-0 overall (4-0 in the Sun Belt) when holding opponents below 60 points. 
• TXST improves to 8-3 this season when playing on the road.
• Isiah Small finished with eight points and led the team with seven rebounds. 
• Shelby Adams had eight points, five rebounds, and a team-high three rebounds. 

UP NEXT
Texas State and UT Arlington will play again at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Strahan Arena in San Marcos, Texas.

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