SAN MARCOS, Texas – An 11-0 run in the later half of the second half propelled the Texas State men's basketball team (5-2) to a 65-56 victory Friday night at Strahan Arena over Little Rock (2-4). The win marked the Bobcats' fourth straight during their homestand.
Offensively, TXST shot 52.0% (26-fo-50) from the field with a 60.9% (14-for-23) mark in the second half. The Bobcats outrebounded the Trojans 37-29 and held the visitors to 37.0% (20-of-54) shooting.
Both Mark Drone and Franck Emmou scored a team-high 13 points. Emmou netted 12 of his points in the second half that saw him knock down two three-pointers. The sophomore also grabbed five rebounds while the duo each finished with two assists.
DJ Hall also reached double-figures with 12 points and grabbed five boards.
Off the bench, Dimp Pernell contributed nine points and handed out a game-high five assists. Kyndall Davis scored five points, retrieved a game-high eight rebounds and blocked two shots.
Texas State scored the first nine points of the game that saw Davis cap off the run with a three-pointer. The team maintained the lead until Little Rock scored six straight points to tie the game at 24-24 with 3:15 left in the first half.
After Drone converted a layup, the visitors knocked down two free throws to tie the contest again. The final bucket of the opening half came courtesy of Pernell as TXST took a 28-26 lead into the break.
The Trojans took their first lead of the game on the opening possession of the second half when Braxton Bayless knocked down a shot from beyond the arc. They would lead twice again with the last coming with 15:31 on the clock after a free throw to go up 34-33.
A 10-2 run followed from Texas State to put the hosts up for good. The Trojans would get to within 53-48 but the Bobcats scored 11 straight points to put the game away.
Next up for TXST is a home game against Texas Lutheran on Monday at 6 p.m. It is the final contest of the five-game homestand.
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