SAN MARCOS, Texas – First-year transfer Brandon Davis scored a game-high 23 points, Texas State shot 51.5 percent from the field, and the Bobcats cruised past Cameron, 90-65, in an exhibition in Strahan Arena on Wednesday.
 
In their lone tune-up before the regular season gets started in five days, Texas State overmatched the Aggies by outscoring them 46-26 in the paint and registering 23 points off of 18 turnovers. The Bobcats were 28-of-47 (60.0 percent) from inside the arc.
 
Davis led all scorers with the 23 points in 30 minutes on 8-of-15 shooting, including 2-of-5 from three-point range. The guard transfer from Loyola (New Orleans) of the NAIA level also had seven rebounds and a steal.
 
Tyrel Morgan was another standout for the Bobcats as the senior forward tallied 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go with six rebounds and six assists. He had three steals and a block as well.
 
Forwards Brandon Love (13 points, 5-of-8 FG) and Nate Martin (10 points, 5-of-7) joined Davis and Morgan in double figures.
 
Texas State never trailed in the game and led for the final 35 minutes after Cameron tied it up at 10-10.
 
After leading by as much as 14 in the first half, the Bobcats stretched it to a 21-point lead after the first four minutes of the second half. Davis had 13 of his 23 points in the final 20 minutes while Love had 11.
 
After Cameron shot 46.4 percent from the field in the first half – including 61.5 percent from three (8-of-13) – the Texas State defense limited the Aggies to 10-of-26 (38.5 percent) from the field in the second and 2-of-12 (16.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
 
The Bobcats will open their season on Monday when they play at Washington State in Pullman, Wash. Tip-off is set for 4:30 pm PT/6:30 pm CT.
 
 
STAT LEADERS
Points: Brandon Davis, 23
Rebounds: Brandon Davis and Brandon Love, 7
Assists: Tyrel Morgan, 6
Steals: Brandon Love, 4
Blocks: Tyrel Morgan, Brandon Love and Dalen Whitlock, 1
 
NOTES
Texas State was 16-of-18 from the free throw line (88.9 percent).
 
Brandon Davis (5-of-5), Davion Sykes (4-of-4) and Tyrel Morgan (2-of-2) were perfect at the charity stripe.
 
The Bobcats committed eight turnovers to Cameron's 18.
 
Drue Drinnon was 2-of-2 from three-point range, helping him score eight points in 20 minutes.
 
Freshman Jordan Mason had nine points and three rebounds in 20 minutes.
 
Mason Harrell, Nighael Ceaser, Davion Coleman and Tuongthach Gatkek did not play.
 
 
POSTGAME QUOTES
Head coach Terrence Johnson
Overall thoughts…
"Good for us to start playing against someone other than ourselves. Cameron is a well-coached team. We have some new people in new places, so what's important for us is to get the experience. We've been good the last couple of years because we've been experienced. This is the youngest we've been in a very long time. I was happy with the outcome tonight. We got some guys learning new positions and new concepts, and it's going to important we sharpen that learning curve moving forward."
 
Approach to exhibition games…
"I think what you're trying to do in an exhibition game is treat it like a real game. You want these guys to take everything (seriously). You want these guys to play the possession. You want these guys to start doing the things that they're going to have to do in order to win games. We approach it no differently, absolutely no differently. It shows in games like this when you can come out and do things that we did tonight consistently, you can have yourself a good team."
 
On players that stood out tonight…
"I thought Jordan Mason played well. He played within the system for the most part. I thought he played within himself. His minutes were super quality. He came in and impacted the winning. I thought Brandon Love showed some flashes of what he can do with his size and length. I also thought that Brandon Davis was able to knock down some open shots and whenever he's able to do that, we got a chance."
 
On Brandon Davis' performance…
"I thought he did well. He was able to score, pick his spots pretty (well). He had some open looks that he was able knock down. We know he can score. If he can learn the subtle nuances of our defense and our principles, then I expect more nights like this out of him."
 
On the defense improving in the second half...
"We just talked about the numbers. Those things don't lie. It's a level of pride you have to take in that. I thought we came out with a conscious effort in the second half, even from the first play trying to contest open shots."
 
About season opener at Washington State…
"(They are) a physical team. They do a really good job of rebounding and imposing their will. They got some really good players. Some good guards. I think it's going to be a battle. That's a tough road trip. We have to get out there and get our feet under us and get ready to compete."
 
Brandon Davis
Overall thoughts…
"First game, playing with new guys. We were down a couple players, but collectively, we played well."
 
On playing a different team for the first time this season…
"We play the same guys in practice, obviously, so they know all of our stuff. It's about executing every time. But playing a new opponent, they don't know our stuff. They watch scout, but it's different. They'll react differently. It's good to play against someone else and see how our plays look when we execute them."
 
On his performance tonight…
"I felt I played (well), but I could've played better with decision making. I played well shooting the ball. This level compared to the NAIA level, it's kind of faster. The terminology is different. The schedule is obviously different. Time management is different. But I worked to get up to this point, so I'm just embracing it and grateful for the opportunity."