SAN MARCOS, TX — Thursday afternoon, Texas State's
Nicole Leff looked more like former San Antonio Spur legend Manu Ginobili the way the left-handed forward was scoring during the Bobcats' 58-39 win over UNT Dallas.
Leff, in her fourth consecutive start and eighth overall on the season, poured in a game-high 12 points on a season-best 71.4 shooting percentage (5-7). She also knocked down one of her two 3-point attempts — her first since sinking two during a career-high 13-point performance against Arlington Baptist on Nov. 15 — and matched fellow forward
Lauryn Thompson with a team-high six rebounds.
Similar to Thompson's season-best scoring performance two nights ago in the Bobcats' win over Houston Christian, Leff got stronger in the paint as the game progressed.
After the Cedar Park native had only two points on 1-of-2 shooting during the game's first half, Leff wasted no time doubling that total in the third quarter when she took a pass from Thompson and converted a layup attempt 93 seconds into the second half. She went on to lead the Bobcats in scoring during the third quarter.
Leff, again, led Texas State in scoring during the fourth quarter, when she scored five points, which was highlighted by a transition 3-point basket from atop the key, in just four minutes of game action.
FROM HEAD COACH ZENARAE ANTOINE
"I want to open by wishing everything a Happy Holidays. It's a very happy holidays for our Bobcat women for being able to have two close games back-to-back and then being able to go into conference play with those two wins is very important. Our homestand has been really positive for us and I like that about our team. Being able to play at home in the preseason gives you an extra level of comfort and confidence going into conference play."
FROM FORWARD NICOLE LEFF
"It was a good night, I think, all around. We did struggle a little during that first half, but we talked at half about the forwards sealing the post. And I think we came out of halftime and did a much better job of that, which gave us better looks near the basket and allow everyone an opportunity to score. Because once you get the ball inside, you have the ability to either go up with it or kick it out for an open shot and that allows for more people to score."
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY QUARTERS
- 1st | Texas State 18, UNT Dallas 8
- 2nd | Texas State 31, UNT Dallas 18
- 3rd | Texas State 47, UNT Dallas 29
- 4th | Texas State 58, UNT Dallas 39
MATCH NOTES
- For the first time since playing only 19 seconds against UTSA on Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2022, Sierra Dickson returned to the court Thursday afternoon as the junior guard played 15 minutes off the bench.
- It was her longest stint on the court since the Bobcats' final game of the 2021-22 season against Louisiana on March 2, 2022, when she played 28.
- By being credited with two blocks against the Trailblazers, Tianna Eaton now has 15 blocks on the season, which is the most in a single season for the sixth-year senior since 2017-18, when she recorded 15 as a true freshman at UC Riverside.
- Eaton's 15 blocks so far this season are already the most by a Bobcat women's basketball student-athlete in a single season since Ti'Aira Pitts was credited with 37 during the 2017-18 campaign.
- Kennedy Taylor finished Texas State's win over UNT Dallas with five assists, marking the third consecutive game the fifth-year point guard has been credited with five assists.
- Taylor now has at least five-or-more assists in eight of the Bobcats' 11 games played so far this season.
- And by scoring five points on the afternoon, Kennedy Taylor passed Erin Peoples (2012-17) for fourteenth on the Texas State women's basketball scoring list.
- Taylor, who has now scored 1,123 career points, will enter conference play just 27 points shy of passing Ayriel Anderson (2012-16) for thirteenth.
- With the win over the Trailblazers, Texas State has now won eight games prior to this season's holiday break, giving the Bobcats the most ever wins under head coach Zenarae Antoine prior to the beginning of conference action.
UP NEXT
- Having now concluded the non-conference portion of its 2022-23 season, the Texas State (8-3) women's basketball program will break for the holidays and return to the court on Thursday, Dec. 29, when the Bobcats begin Sun Belt Conference action in Statesboro, Ga., against Georgia Southern.
FOLLOW US
- For the latest information on the team, follow @TXStateWBB on Twitter and Instagram. General athletic news can also be at @TxStateBobcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
