SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State women's basketball celebrated Graduate Night in Strahan Arena with the perfect sendoff: a 62-57 win over Southern Miss. The Bobcats won their second straight inside Strahan Arena to send its graduating players off.
 
Highlighting the night was a 19-point night from Jaylin Foster who also brought down five rebounds, had two assists and three steals on the night. That, paired with 15 rebounds from Destiny Terrell and double digit nights from Ja'Mia Harris and Crystal Smith propelled the Bobcats to the win.
 
WHAT HEAD COACH ZENARAE ANTOINE SAID: "I am so excited for these six young women. This will forever be in their memory book. That they were able to leave their mark here at Texas State, not just with all they do athletically and academically, but that they won in their final series. In a tough season that was riddled with injuries and different scenarios, we found a way to finish strong at home.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: 
The game started slow on both sides of the ball, but it was the Golden Eagles that were able to find rhythm after the media timeout and were able to put themselves ahead at the end of the first. Southern Miss shot an efficient 5-9 in the first, going up 15-10 after the first 10 minutes.
 
The second quarter was all Bobcats, though. Texas State limited Southern Miss to just four points, which was one shy of a school record for fewest points in a quarter. While the Golden Eagles shot just 2-11, Texas State shot 9-19 to get 20 points of their own. The Bobcats also out-rebounded Southern Miss 14 to eight. That, paired with capitalizing on a pair of turnovers midway through the quarter helped Texas State give themselves a lead at the halftime break. Highlighted by eight points from Foster in the second, Texas State led 30-19 at the half. 
 
Southern Miss worked to overcome the deficit in the third, but were only able to draw the game back within seven. Both sides were shooting well, but Texas State's 0-4 from the free throw line, compared to Southern Miss' 6-9, helped them make a dent in the lead the Bobcats had. Headed to the final quarter, Texas State led 43-36.
 
The Bobcats dug deep in the fourth quarter to keep Southern Miss at bay, though. The team maintained a level head while USM brought the game within one possession midway through the quarter. A scoring run from the Bobcats helped them push that lead back out to eight with less than four minutes to play. From there, the teams matched points and Southern Miss' Bre Sutton worked for nine to help the deficit, but it was too much to overcome. Foster scored another seven in the fourth, paired with four from Crystal Smith who had her second double-digit night of the season to win the game. 
 
Texas State beat Southern Miss 62-57 and is now 12-15 on the season and 6-10 in Sun Belt play.

STAT LEADERS

• Points – Jaylin Foster (19)
• Rebounds – Destiny Terrell (15)
• Assists – Crystal Smith (3)

 
SCORES BY QUARTER
1st | Texas State 10, Southern Miss 15
2nd | Texas State 20, Southern Miss 4
3rd | Texas State 13, Southern Miss 17
4th | Texas State 19, Southern Miss 21

UP NEXT
Texas State will close out its regular season on the road at Troy and South Alabama. The game at Troy will be Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7 pm. The Bobcats will then head to Mobile to face the Jaguars on Feb. 28 at 5 pm. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.