SAN MARCOS, Texas. – Despite the Bobcats shooting 48.3%, which is their highest shooting percentage of any conference game so far, Texas State lost to Troy 92-85. Despite out-shooting the visitors, turnovers plagued the Bobcats as Troy won in Strahan Arena.
 
Ja'Niah Henson had a lights-out first half for the Bobcats, having 21 points and shooting 7-9 at the break. Her first half helped the Bobcats to just a four point deficit at the half. Henson continued her free throw streak with six made attempts tonight as well as five rebounds to complete her season-high 27 point outing.
 
Additionally, Jaylin Foster had her second 15+ point game in the last three games against Troy where she shot a 6-9 with four assists and three rebounds, getting involved on all sides of the ball for the Bobcats.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Texas State went on a 9-0 run to start the game and force a Troy timeout. The timeout swung the momentum in favor of the Trojans there, and they went on a 13-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead. After eight first quarter turnovers from the Bobcats gave the Trojans more scoring opportunity, the Bobcats found themselves trailing 33-21 at the end of the first quarter.

Through the second quarter, Henson hit her stride. Shooting 4-6 with three free throws, she had 11 of the Bobcats 26 points in the second. That, paired with five from foster and limiting the Trojans to just 7-16 shooting, the Bobcats drew things within four points headed into the halftime break.

Morgan Hill became a large part of the Bobcats game in the second half. In the third quarter she led the team with six points, going 3-3 from the field. That, paired with her two rebounds, helped the Bobcats keep things close with Troy headed into the final quarter down just 74-64.

Foster got hot late in the game, she was good for 10 points in the final 10 minutes of the game as she battled back for the Bobcats. Her three-pointer with less than a minute to go made things a one-possession game. Late free throws for the Trojans separated the score in the final minute, but ultimately it was close until the end as the Bobcats fell narrowly 92-85.

WHAT HEAD COACH ZENARAE ANTOINE SAID: "There are a lot of good things from this game, but there are a lot of similarities between this game and the game against [ULM], as far as us not taking care of the basketball and really not having a good start. Once again we did not have a good start. I thought we did a good job making the adjustments we needed to coming out of halftime, similar to [ULM]. That's start is something that we need to fix."

STAT LEADERS

• Points – Ja'Niah Henson (27)
• Rebounds – Morgan Hill (6)
• Assists – Jaylin Foster (4)
• Steals –  Morgan Hill (2)
• Blocks – N/A

 
SCORES BY QUARTER
1st | Texas State 21, Troy 33
2nd | Texas State 26, Troy 18
3rd | Texas State 17, Troy 23
4th | Texas State 21, Troy 18


GAME NOTES

• The Bobcats are now 10-8 on the season and 1-5 in conference play after the loss to Troy.
• Ja'Niah Henson had a season-high 27 points in her second consecutive 20+ point showing. She again shot perfect from the free throw line, going 6-6, which puts her 67-72 on the season. Her .931 free throw percentage is top-5 in the nation. 
• Morgan Hill tied her season-high with 12 points tonight going a perfect 6-6 and paired that with a team high six rebounds on the night.
• Jaylin Foster had her ninth double-digit night of the season with her 19 points in the game tonight where she shot 6-9. 
• As a team the Bobcats shot 29-60 (.483) tonight, their second-best single game team shooting percentage of the season. The only game better was the Bobcats 29-55 (.527) night against UNT Dallas. The team's 17-18 free throw shooting tonight was a season-high percentage.

UP NEXT
The Bobcats will host Arkansas State for a rematch of last week's game inside Strahan Arena on Saturday, Jan. 20. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. and is part of a doubleheader with Texas State men's basketball facing Arkansas State's men following the women's game. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Brant Freeman and Suzanne Fox on the call.