SAN MARCOS, TX — Heading into the locker rooms for halftime, Saturday's game between Texas State and Louisiana was a one-point contest. But the Ragin' Cajuns took matters into their own hands and used a 26-point third quarter to hand the Bobcats a 71-51 loss inside Strahan Arena.
Despite Louisiana, which led 24-23 after the game's first 20 minutes, extended its lead to four points — 27-23 — less than a minute into the third quarter,
Lauryn Thompson, who was the first Bobcat to reach double figure in the scoring column, converted an and-one opportunity to cut the Bobcat deficit to one with 7:57 to play in the quarter.
Then the Ragin' Cajuns took off.
Caira Wren, Tamera Johnson and Alicia Balnton combined for a 7-0 run that was snapped by the back end of two free throws from Thompson. But Louisiana didn't let up as the Ragin' Cajuns went on an 11-0 run that was eventually snapped at 13-1 as Texas State went on a 5-0 run.
The damage was done, however, as the one-point deficit had ballooned to 19 at one point on a Nubia Benedith jumper with 2:59 remaining in the third quarter. By the time the third 10-minute stanza was over, it was a 15-point deficit for Texas State after Louisiana held the Bobcats to a 25.0 shooting percentage (2-8) with eight of their points in the quarter coming from the free throw line.
The Ragin' Cajuns outrebounded the Bobcats, 11-0, during the entirety of the third quarter.
FROM HEAD COACH ZENARAE ANTOINE
"I'm disappointed in our defensive performance, especially because we've had two back-to-back games right now that I don't think we've given our best coming out to start the third quarter. Louisiana normally doesn't score at this level, so for them to put up 26 points in a quarter and, honestly, 47 in the second half, that's very disappointing. It's something that we have to get corrected quickly, because that's not something that's been in our character as far as what we've done up until this past weekend with the two Sun Belt games at home. That's something I'm going to be taking a look at."
STAT LEADERS
SCORES BY QUARTERS
- 1st | Louisiana. 18, Texas State 17
- 2nd | Louisiana 24, Texas State 23
- 3rd | Louisiana 50, Texas State 35
- 4th | Louisiana 71, Texas State 51
MATCH NOTES
- Fifth-year senior guard Ja'Kayla Bowie finished Saturday afternoon's game with a career-high six assists, four of which came during the first half before dishing one out during each the third and fourth quarters.
- Bowie's previous career high was five assists in a single game, which she accomplished four times with the last happening against ULM on Feb. 12, 2022.
- By checking into the game during the final two minutes, Kennedy Claybrooks appeared in her first career Sun Belt Conference game.
- Saturday's action marked the fourth time during her five-year career that 5-foot-3 guard Kennedy Taylor connected on a career-high four 3-point attempts as she finished 4-of-6 from behind the 3-point arc.
- Taylor last hit 4 3-pointers in a single game on Feb. 26, 2022, against Little Rock.
- By knocking down a pair of free throws with 2:05 left in the third quarter, firth-year Bobcat Taelour Pruitt surpassed the 1,000-career collegiate basketball point milestone.
- With the accomplishment, Pruitt joins Da'Nasia Hood (1,570) and Kennedy Taylor (1,165) as the only active Bobcat women's basketball student-athletes to have scored 1,000-or-more points during a collegiate basketball career.
- Pruitt, who finished Saturday's game with four points, will enter next Thursday's game with 1,002 career points.
- After finishing Saturday's action with 20 minutes played, Lauryn Thompson has now played 1,600 career minutes of collegiate women's basketball between a season at VCU and three at Texas State.
UP NEXT
- Texas State (10-5, 2-2) will continue its four-game conference homestand on Thursday, Jan. 12, when the Bobcats play Georgia State (8-9, 2-2) at 11 AM CT.
- The Panthers are coming off an 81-58 loss to Troy on Saturday, Jan. 7.
- Georgia State has wins over ULM (59-49) and South Alabama (66-57), with losses to Troy (81-58) and Louisiana (54-41).
- The Bobcats will conclude the four-game stretch on Saturday, Jan. 14, when they play Arkansas State at 2 p.m. CT.
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.
