NEW ORLEANS – Texas State led throughout most of the game on Saturday but Tulane came back to claim a 79-71 win at the Devlin Fieldhouse.

The Bobcats are now 1-2 on the season while the Green Wave moves to 2-0.

"Tough loss. We played a well-coached and talented team today. I thought for extended stretches we played Bobcat basketball," said head coach Terrence Johnson. "Credit Coach Hunter and his team. They stayed the course while we struggled to defend without fouling and to find a consistent rhythm down the stretch. We've grown a ton since Monday night. Although not the desired result, there are definitely some positives takeaways. We just have to keep taking steps and stacking days."

Freshman DJ Hall led all TXST scorers with a season-high 14 points, 11 coming in the first half. He was 5-of-10 from the field while also grabbing seven rebounds. Makai Willis added 12 points and five boards.

Both Mark Drone and Frank Emmou netted 10 points apiece. Kaden Gumbs just missed double-digits with nine points. The San Marcos native also had seven assists and three steals.

The Green Wave opened the scoring with four straight points. Gumbs converted a layup and Emmou knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner to give the Bobcats the lead.

After Tulane tied the game at 9-9, TXST went on a 17-2 that was capped off by treys from Drone and Gumbs over the next 8:21.

Willis made a layup with 4:15 left in the first half to give Texas State's biggest lead of the game at 35-15. However, the Green Wave would end the half on a 11-4 run as the Bobcats took a 39-26 advantage into the break.

Tulane came out of halftime and over the first four minutes scored 14 of the games next 21 points. A three-pointer and a jumper by Jaelyn Lee put the Bobcats back up by double-digits at 56-44.

Over the next three-plus minutes, the hosts scored 12 straight points with eight coming courtesy of Rowan Braumbaugh to tie the game. Two free throws by Emmou ended the scoreless drought.

The Bobcats maintained a lead until Josiah Moore scored four straight points to put the Green Wave ahead 67-66 with 3:37 left on the clock. Tulane closed out its 30-for-30 day at the free throw line with nine of them coming in the final two minutes to close out the game.

Next up for TXST is a meeting with I-35 rival UTSA on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the first of five consecutive games at Strahan Arena.

Stay up to date on everything Texas State men's basketball by following the team on Facebook,  Twitter, and Instagram.