MIAMI– The Bobcats improved to 2-0 in the FIU Christmas Classic with a 84-76 win over Chicago State on Tuesday afternoonas five Bobcats knocked down double-digits in the game.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Out of the gate the Bobcats were able to go up on Chicago State. Despite the Cougars scoring the first bucket, the Bobcats lead for almost the entire quarter while outscoring them 20-11. Leading the way was Ja'Niah Henson who had seven points in the opening quarter with 2-2 shooting and two free throws. Henson went 7-7 on the night from the free-throw line, having not missed an attempt in two games, going 16-16 in that tiem. The Bobcats shot 7-14 as a team while holding the Cougars to just 11 points on 4-11 shooting to go up early on in the game.
 
Jaylin Foster came alive in the second quarter as she went for 10 points while playing just six minutes of the quarter. She went 4-4 from the field while knocking down two threes to lead the Bobcats in the second quarter. Additionally, Timia Jefferson got six points and Henson added five more to her tally. Shooting 61.1%, their highest quarter of the game, the Bobcats went into the halftime break with a 47-32 lead over the Cougars.
 
The Cougars were able to get hot on their shooting in the third quarter to keep things close with the Bobcats out of the halftime breaks. The Cougars ended up outscoring the Bobcats 16-15 in the third quarter, but the Bobcats were able to preserve their lead headed into the final quarter of play.
 
In the final quarter the Bobcats had to find ways to preserve their lead. Chicago State's offense stayed hot as they shot 80% in the fourth quarter, but the Bobcats were able to find ways to get points and keep themselves in the game. Jefferson had five points, and Tullis knocked down four of her own while Sierra Dickson went 7-8 from the free throw line for seven points of her own. The Bobcats shot 14-15 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter. The 22 point quarter was enough to keep the Bobcats ahead as they improve to 8-3 on the season with a 84-76 win over Chicago State.
 
STAT LEADERS

• Points – Ja'Niah Henson (17)
• Rebounds – Tiffant Tullis (6)
• Assists – Nicole Leff (4)
• Steals –  Jaylin Foster, Timia Jefferson (3)
• Blocks – Jaylin Foster, Tiffany Tullis (1)

 
SCORES BY QUARTER
1st | Texas State 20, Chicago State 11
2nd | Texas State 27, Chicago State 21
3rd | Texas State 15, Chicago State 16
4th | Texas State 22, Chicago State 28


GAME NOTES

• The Bobcats are now 8-3 on the season after the win against Florida International.
• Head Coach Zenarae Antoine has 195 career wins as the winningest head coach in Texas State women's basketball history. 
• This was Henson and Jefferson's eighth game of the season with double-digit scoring after their respective 17 and 15 point nights.
• Four of the Bobcats five starters scored double-digits tonight and Sierra Dickson had a season-high 11 points off the bench.
• Henson hasn't missed a free throw attempt in 96 minutes of game play, with her last miss coming seven minutes into the third quarter of the Bobcats win over Denver. She is 38-42 on the season in free throw attempts, for a .905 percentage. Henson has the highest free throw percentage of any player in the Sun Belt Conference, and is amongst the best in the nation.
• As a tem the Bobcats shot 26-30 from the free throw line, their best free throw showing of the season. The team shot 86.7% from the line, the first game with 80+ percent free throw shooting of the season.

UP NEXT
The Bobcats will close the Christmas Classic tomorrow versus Alabama A&M. The game will tip-off at 1 p.m. (CT) at the FIU Convocation Center. This will be the Bobcats final non-conference game outside of the MAC-SBC Challenge game in February. On Dec. 30 the Bobcats will host Georgia Southern in their conference play opened at 2 p.m. inside Strahan Arena.