JONESBORO, Ark. – For the first time in 15 years, Texas State women's basketball won a regular season conference championship as the Bobcats beat Arkansas State, 86-79, in the regular season finale on Friday at First National Bank Arena to claim a share of the Sun Belt title.
 
Following a loss by James Madison earlier on Friday, Texas State (21-8, 13-5 Sun Belt) entered the matchup with the Red Wolves (11-18, 6-12 Sun Belt) with an opportunity to win its first conference championship since winning the Southland Conference in 2007-08.
 
The Bobcats trailed after the first quarter, but following a 23-point second quarter and a third quarter in which they doubled up Arkansas State, 22-11, they were able to stake themselves a comfortable cushion going into the final period.
 
Four Bobcats – who have combined to play in 470 career games in a Texas State uniform – led the offensive output with double-digit point totals. Da'Nasia Hood had a team-high 18 points while Kennedy Taylor and Lauryn Thompson had 16 and 15, respectively. Ja'Kayla Bowie contributed 14 points.
 
Hood also had a team-best eight rebounds while Taylor had eight assists to lead the Bobcats.
 
Both teams shot well – Texas State, 52.6 percent, to Arkansas State's 47.4 percent – but the Bobcat defense forced 21 turnovers by the Red Wolves and had 13 steals.
 
Texas State will share the regular season conference title with JMU and Southern Miss, but thanks to beating Southern Miss twice this year, it will have the No. 2 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Pensacola next week. The Bobcats' first game will be on Friday, March 3 at 7:30 pm against the winner of No. 7 seed Louisiana and No. 10 seed App State.
 
 
STAT LEADERS

• Points – Da'Nasia Hood (18)
• Rebounds – Da'Nasia Hood (7)
• Assists – Kennedy Taylor (8)
• Steals – Taelor Pruitt (5)
• Blocks – Ja'Kayla Bowie (2)

 
SCORES BY QUARTER
1st | Arkansas State 18, Texas State 15
2nd | Texas State 38, Arkansas State 35
3rd | Texas State 60, Arkansas State 46
4th | Texas State 86, Arkansas State 79
 
GAME NOTES

• The conference title was the first for Texas State head coach Zenarae Antoine. Antoine, in her 12th season leading the Bobcats, became the program's all-time winningest coach earlier this season as well.
• The conference championship was Texas State's second regular season conference title as a Division I team in program history. The Bobcats have also won two conference tournament titles (1997, 2003).
• Texas State improved to 7-2 in conference road games and 8-4 in all road games.
• With 7 rebounds, Hood became the third Bobcat to ever have 1,700 career points and 800 career rebounds. In 127 career games, Hood has 1,768 career points and 806 career rebounds.
• Kennedy Taylor had 8 assists on Friday and now has 176 assists this season, which are third-most in a single season by a Bobcat.
• Taylor also moved into 12th in Texas State history in career points with 1,320.
• Texas State has won 4 in a row against Arkansas State.

 
UP NEXT
Texas State will compete in the Sun Belt Conference Championship in Pensacola, Fla. While the opening round games start on Tuesday, the Bobcats will have a double-bye and not play their first game until Friday, March 3.