LAMAR, Texas – Leading by two with four minutes left on the clock, the Texas State men's basketball team pulled away for a 65-55 win over Lamar on Thursday in the Montagne Center.
 
With the win, the Bobcats are now 5-3 on the year and have now won three of their last four games. The Cardinals drop to 3-5 in their first home loss of the season.
 
"We knew coming into this game that it was going to be a war. They're well coached and talented. We had some guys step up tonight, especially Drue Drinnon and Davion Sykes, to help Mason [Harrell] carry us tonight," said head coach Terrence Johnson. "We were able to lock in late and get quality defensive stops which led to good shots on the other end. This road swing has been challenging but our guys met the challenge and that's all you can ask for."
 
TXST came out of halftime leading by five but would see LU go on a 13-3 run that spanned nearly six minutes to go up 42-37 halfway through the second half. Following a putback layup from Davion Sykes, Brandon Davis knocked down a three-pointer from the left wing at the 8:01 mark to put the Bobcats back in front for good.
 
A jumper cut the Cardinals' deficit to 53-51 with 4:09 on the clock. Texas State would then close out the game by scoring 12 of the final 16 points with the only basket allowed being a three-pointer with 21 seconds remaining.
 
Mason Harrell scored a team-high 18 points, 14 of which came in the final 20 minutes, as he made 6-of-11 shots, both of his three-point attempts and knocked down 4-of-5 at the charity stripe. The Midwest City, Oklahoma native also dished out a season-high seven assists, which was one shy of his career best. His assist total gives him 325 in his career and three shy of fourth place in program history.
 
Sykes finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists in his first career start. His assist and rebound totals were new season-highs while his point mark matched the best this year for him.
 
Also finishing in double figures was Drue Drinnon with 11 points in 26 minutes off the bench. He added six assists, a season-high, and four steals, a new career best. Also setting a new career-high on the night was Brandon Love with four rejections.
 
Sunday will see TXST back home in Strahan Arena for the first time in over three weeks as Rice comes to town for a 2 p.m. tip.
 
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