MIAMI– It was a second half comeback for the Bobcats that saw the team improve to 9-3 on the season and finish the FIU Christmas Classic 3-0. After a second quarter that found the Bobcats down 34-24 at the half, the Bobcats came back strong in the third to find a lead that led them to a win on Wednesday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
From the get-go in this game, it was going to be a matter of grit between these two sides. With both teams playing their third game in three days, it was a matter of determination. 
 
Early on, neither side was giving the other much to work with. After the first 10 minutes the Bobcats trailing narrowly 17-15 despite shooting 3-5 from beyond the arc. Gara Beth Self lead the Bobcats with six points, going 2-2 from three in the opening quarter. 
 
Through the second quarter the Bobcats were unable to produce much offensively. Alabama A&M held the Bobcats to just nine points in the second quarter with 2-14 shooting. The Bobcats went into the half trailing 34-24.
 
Out of the halftime break, though, the Bobcats came out swinging. In the first five minutes of the half the Bobcats went on a 10-0 run to tie the game, shooting 4-7 in the process. Jefferson had four of the Bobcats 10 points in that time. The Bobcats would end the quarter outscoring Alabama A&M 22-2 and hold a 46-36 lead. Jefferson shot 4-4 in the third for eight points to help lead the Bobcats to the third quarter turnaround.
 
At the media timeout in the fourth quarter the Bobcats continued to build on their lead, again outscoring Alabama A&M 10-6 and holding a 56-40 lead. The Bobcats hit their rhythm in the second half as a whole when the team improved to shooting 41.7% in the second half after shooting 53.3% in the third. 
 
At the end of the game the Bobcats closed the FIU Christmas Classic with a perfect 3-0 record after a 63-52 win over Alabama A&M. 

STAT LEADERS

• Points – Timia Jefferson (17)
• Rebounds – Tiffant Tullis (9)
• Assists – Gara Beth Self (3)
• Steals –  Sierra Dickson (4)
• Blocks –Tiffany Tullis (1)

 
SCORES BY QUARTER
1st | Texas State 15, Alabama A&M 17
2nd | Texas State 9, Alabama A&M 17
3rd | Texas State 22, Alabama A&M 2
4th | Texas State 17, Alabama A&M 16


GAME NOTES

• The Bobcats are now 9-3 on the season after the win against Florida International.
• Head Coach Zenarae Antoine has 196 career wins as the winningest head coach in Texas State women's basketball history. 
• This was Jefferson's eighth game of the season with double-digit scoring after scoring 17 points on the night.
• Henson hasn't missed a free throw attempt in the Bobcats last three games, with her last miss coming seven minutes into the third quarter of the Bobcats win over Denver. She is 40-44 on the season in free throw attempts, for a .909 percentage. Henson has the highest free throw percentage of any player in the Sun Belt Conference, and is amongst the best in the nation.

UP NEXT
The Bobcats have officially wrapped non-conference play and will host Georgia Southern in their conference play opener on Dec. 30 at 2 p.m. inside Strahan Arena.