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.
 
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. 

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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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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