SAN MARCOS, Texas – Sophomore
Davion Sykes had a career night on the hardwood in his first start of the season with his first career double-double. He finished with a career-high 18 points and 11 rebounds in helping Texas State (8-14, 2-8 Sun Belt) defeat South Alabama (10-12, 3-7 Sun Belt) 74-66 Thursday night in Strahan Arena to end a four-game losing streak.
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The Duncanville, Texas native was 8-for-11 from the field and did most of his damage in the second half with 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting.
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Dylan Dawson recorded his third straight game with double-digit points. The senior finished with 14 points as he knocked down 4-of-6 shots from beyond the arc. He also matched his season-high of three assists while also recording two steals and a block.
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Brandon Love finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three blocks. He now has 42 rejections on the season to move into a tie for the fifth most by a TXST player. The junior is also fourth in school history with 80 career blocks, tying Isiah Small (2019-21).
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Coming off the bench,
Jordan Mason scored 11 points with all coming in the final 20 minutes.
Coleton Benson added eight points on 3-of-6 shooting with two made triples.
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Kaden Gumbs dished out six assists, his highest mark against a Sun Belt Conference opponent. The San Marcos native also scored six points and grabbed six boards.
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Texas State opened the game on a 7-2 run but saw the Jaguars counter with six straight points to take the lead. The teams would trade the lead or see the score tied over the next four minutes.
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Dawson made his first three-pointer of the game at the 6:15 mark to give the Bobcats their largest lead of the period at 21-15. USA would pull to within a point on a triple of its own from Tyrell Jones with 63 seconds left in the half. A fastbreak trey by Dawson right before the buzzer sent the Bobcats into halftime ahead 28-24.
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A three-pointer from Elija Ormiston began the second half to again make it a one-point contest. Dawson would be fouled the next time down the court and made two free throws to start an 11-0 run. He also capped off the scoring stretch with his third triple of the evening.
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The Jaguars would go on a 16-3 run to take a 48-47 advantage with 10:26 left in the game. Mason hit a three-pointer to put TXST back in the lead and extended the advantage to five with another trey just over a minute later.
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Texas State would hold the lead for the rest of the game with the smallest margin being two points. Sykes took over in that span as he scored 10 of his points in the final six minutes.
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Next up for the Bobcats is a meeting with Southern Miss at 4:15 p.m. in Strahan Arena.
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