SAN MARCOS, TX — Once the ball started rolling during Texas State's 89-55 win over Arkansas State on Saturday, it never stopped until the final horn.
The duo of
Kennedy Taylor (6) and
Tianna Eaton (7) combined for 13 of the Bobcats' 20 first-quarter points on a 43.8 shooting percent, which was fueled by the pair — along with
Ja'Kayla Bowie — knocking down four of five 3-point attempts, while the Texas State defense limited Arkansas State to only three made field goals on 16 attempts.
And then the flood gates opened for both teams as Texas State (30) and Arkansas State (24) combined for 54 points during the second quarter. Each team shot 42.9 percent or better from the field through the second 10-minute stanza: Arkansas State (42.9) and Texas State (62.5).
At halftime, Texas State head coach
Zenarae Antoine wanted a change. And her team did just that.
By the end of the game, the Bobcat defense held the Red Wolves to a second-half shooting percentage of 16.7. Arkansas State made only two field goal attempts during the third quarter and three in the fourth. At the same time, seven different Texas State student-athletes scored at least two points with
Lauryn Thompson leading the way with 10 second-half points.
FROM HEAD COACH ZENARAE ANTOINE
"I'm very happy — regardless of who our opponent was — that we were able to string two back-to-back games together, that was going to be important, and then for our coaching staff for being able to find a way to be able to help our team execute the game plan. Then, in addition to that, we did a good job during that third quarter. I've been harping on our consistency within that third quarter. We were excellent during the non-conference portion of our schedule, but we had to challenge the team to step up because we allowed 24 points during that second quarter."
FROM CENTER JAEDA REED
"I think, coming into this game, our main focus was on the defensive end, so we wanted to push each other in practice. And, like Coach Z said, we wanted to control the glass and hold each other accountable for rebounding. Those two things definitely helped us pick up these two wins this week."
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY QUARTERS
- 1st | Texas State 20, Arkansas State 8
- 2nd | Texas State 50, Arkansas State 32
- 3rd | Texas State 67, Arkansas State 43
- 4th | Texas State 89, Arkansas State 55
MATCH NOTES
- Saturday's 30-point second quarter for Texas State marked the first time the Bobcats have scored 30-or-more points in a single quarter against a Sun Belt opponent during the regular season since scoring 31 during the fourth quarter against UTA on Feb. 1, 2020.
- By finishing Saturday's game with 10 made free throws, fifth-year senior Kennedy Taylor has now connected on 274 career free throws, passing Ayriel Anderson (2012-16) for eighth on the program's career made free throw list.
- With her two made 3-pointers against the Red Wolves, Da'Nasia Hood passed Joyce Ekworomadu (2004-08) for sixth on the program's career made 3-point field goal list.
- Hood will enter Texas State's next contest with 155 career made 3-point attempts.
- Da'Nasia Hood, by scoring 10 points against Arkansas State, passed Joyce Ekworomadu (2004-08) for eighth on the program's career scoring list.
- Hood, now with 1,580 career points, needs just 16 more points to pass Becky Steinmeyer (1971-75) for the seventh spot on the list.
- With the win, the Texas State women's basketball program has now won 10 games inside Strahan Arena this season, marking the sixth time the Bobcats have accomplished the feat under head coach Zenarae Antoine.
- The program's single-season record for most home wins under Antoine is 11 set by the 2011-12 and 2017-18 teams.
- Kennedy Taylor tied her season high with 21 points scored.
- Taylor also scored 21 points at Sam Houston on Nov. 12, 2022.
- Her 10 made free throws tied her career high, which she set against Lamar on Dec. 19, 2020.
UP NEXT
- With its four-game homestand now completed, the Texas State women's basketball program (12-5, 4-2) will now hit the road for the first time in 2023 as the Bobcats travel to Monroe, La., to play ULM at 6:30 PM on Thursday, Jan. 19.
- Texas State will follow that game with a road trip to South Alabama (Saturday, Jan. 21) and Old Dominion (Thursday, Jan. 26).
- Jan. 26's game will mark the Bobcats' first-ever collegiate women's basketball game in Norfolk, Va., against Old Dominion.
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.
