HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Senior guard Dylan Dawson scored a career-high 23 points behind a career best five made three-pointers in helping Texas State (5-5) overcome a 10-point halftime deficit to defeat Sam Houston (6-6) 73-60 Friday night from the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. It was the first time this season that the Bobcats trailed at the half and came away with a victory.
 
"A little bit of a tale of two halves but we'll take it! Great team win and I'm proud of the way we responded tonight," said head coach Terrence Johnson. "We beat a good team today, but we showed that we have what it takes to become a good team as well."
 
Dawson finished 8-of-13 from the field and connected on half of his attempts from beyond the arc. Jordan Mason netted 18 points, 14 of which came in the second half, as he finished 5-for-11 shooting and went 8-for-12 at the free throw line while adding five assists and three steals.
 
Also finishing with double-digit points was Brandon Love with 10. The junior also blocked three shots and was credited with three steals. Also finishing with three swipes was Kaden Gumbs, who finished with eight points, seven rebounds and six assists. A game-high eight rebounds were recorded by Christian Turner as five came on the offensive glass.
 
For the second straight game TXST shot over 50 percent from the field as the team went 26-for-49 (53.1%). The Bobcats held a slight edge on the boards (33-32) while forcing 16 turnovers with 10 being the result of a steal.
 
"I'm happy for Dylan Dawson. He has been putting in the work and it showed today. Jordan Mason settled us down and helped us execute," Johnson said. "It was a total team effort, but our front court stepped up in a major way down the stretch. Chris Nix and Christian Turner gave us the grit and toughness we needed to compete in the trenches. This was a character-building win for the Bobcats, and I look forward to us stacking more days like this."
 
After the Bearkats knocked down their first shot of the game, the Bobcats scored six straight with the last four both being steals and slams by Love. The hosts would answer by going on a 21-6 run as TXST turned the ball over eight times in that span.
 
Texas State battled back and got the deficit to 26-21 with 3:45 after Gumbs knocked the ball away from a Bearkat and went the distance for a layup. The only other points for the Bobcats in the period came on a jumper in the paint from Dawson while Sam Houston knocked down two three-pointers over the final 2:21 to take a 10-point lead into halftime.
 
Coming out of half the Bobcats were on a mission. They opened the period with a 20-6 run to not only go in front but up by four. Capping off the stretch was a fastbreak layup from Dawson. A jumper in the pain by Mason increased the advantage to 51-43 but a triple by Cameron Huefner made it a five-point contest.
 
Gumbs hit a pull-up jumper to kick start a 10-2 run that put the Bobcats ahead by 14 with 3:41 remaining. They would eventually push the advantage to 17 twice with the last being after Dawson knocked two free throws.
 
Next up for TXST is a home contest against LeTourneau on Monday for a 7 p.m. start.
 
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