PENSACOLA, Fla. – Texas State men's basketball will continue its run in the Sun Belt Tournament into the semi-finals. The Bobcats took a 74-58 win over #3 seed Troy to become the first #11 seed to advance to the semi-finals of the tournament in back-to-back seasons. The Bobcats are now 6-1 all-time as the 11 seed in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
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Jordan Mason led the team in scoring with a career-high 25 points. The sophomore shot 9-11 with a perfect 3-3 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the free throw line. His three three-pointers were a career high for the San Antonio native.Â
Davion Sykes added 13 points on 5-11 shooting and went 3-3 at the charity stripe. Sykes added four assists and two steals to his stat line.
Also reaching double-figures was
Joshua O'Garro with 11 points behind an efficient 4-5 day from the field. Mason and
Brandon Love led the Bobcats with five boards apiece as well. Love also had one block to claim third on the most blocks in a single season by a Bobcat in school history.
The first half was a back-and-forth affair the whole way through. With five tied scored and six lead changes, neither side gained a ton of momentum. Both sides were able to go on scoring runs, but neither took a lead too large for the other to overcome.
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At the midway point of the half the Bobcats were down by as many as seven, but a five minute run by the Bobcats leveled the two sides at 23 with 4:22 in the half. Mason made the tying basket that propelled the Bobcats to a five-point lead in the first half.
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After trading possessions, things were all tied up at 30 going into the last possession of the quarter. As the shot clock expired, though, Mason pulled up for a three to expire the shot clock, giving the Bobcats a 33-30 lead at the break. Mason had 11 of his eventual 25 points in the first half.
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The Bobcats took control of the game in the second half. The team held a lead for 18:48 of the second half, not allowing Troy a lead after the 8:54 mark. Texas State always led by at least two points in the final eight minutes of play.
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Highlighting the second half was 59.1% shooting by the Bobcats and a 14 point half for Mason. Love also tacked on five rebounds as the Bobcats outrebounded Troy 13-10.
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After controlling the second half, the Bobcats were able to seal their spot in the semi-finals with a 74-68 win over the Troy Trojans on Saturday night.
Next up for TXST is a meeting with the winner of the James Madison and Marshall game this evening. The Bobcats will play tomorrow, Sunday, March 9
th at 7:30 pm.
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