SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State was able to tie the game late but Arkansas State pulled away to claim a 79-72 win Saturday evening from Strahan Arena.
 
The loss drops the Bobcats to 7-12 on the year and 1-6 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Red Wolves are now 8-11 overall and 4-3 in league action.
 
Pacing the Bobcats was Jordan Mason with 21 points to match his career best that he set earlier this season at UT Arlington. The sophomore was 7-for-17 from the field and 7-of-8 at the free throw line.
 
Kaden Gumbs contributed 12 points with two made three-pointers, grabbed seven rebounds and recorded two steals. Also reaching double figures was Brandon Love with 10 points.
 
As a team, TXST was 21-for-24 (87.5%) at the charity stripe while making its first 18 attempts. The Bobcats were also 24-of-53 (45.3%) from the field and limited ASU to 41.5% (27-of-65) shooting but the visitors did make 11 attempts from beyond the arc.
 
It was a close contest for most of the first half until the Red Wolves knocked down back-to-back three-pointers with just under six minutes left in the period. They would hold the lead until early in the second half when Texas State scored the first seven points. Capping off the stretch was Gumbs with a trey at the 18:40 mark.

Tie game!#EatEmUp x @KJahnii pic.twitter.com/FwgRr5luCp

— Texas State MBB (@TXStateMBB) January 20, 2024

 
However, the Red Wolves quickly went up by nine with three made shots from beyond the arc over the next 1:37.
 
An 8-1 run over a 1:36 stretch saw the Bobcats tie the game at 62-62. Six of the points came at the free throw line with four being courtesy of Mason. Neither team was able to knock down shots for the next 90 seconds until Freddy Hicks converted an old-fashion three-point play that put the visitors ahead for good.
 
Texas State did manage to cut the deficit to four on a three-pointer by Dylan Dawson with 12 ticks left but ASU sealed the game at the charity stripe.
 
Next up for TXST is a road trip next week beginning with a contest at Troy on Wednesday with a start time of 6 p.m.
 
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