SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State Women's Basketball began its new chapter on a high note on Wednesday, securing their first win in the Chris Kielsmeier era with an 18-point win over Long Island, 69-51.
It was all about the upperclassmen in Strahan Arena, as juniors
Saniya Burks and
Kyra Anderson finished in double digits with 20 and 16 points respectively. Rounding out the Bobcats' (1-0 overall) scoring was senior
Crystal Henderson, who tallied 18 points and helped Texas State hold the lead over the Sharks (0-2 overall) for almost 38 minutes.
The two squads traded a couple of blows in the first quarter with the lead changing twice, but a crucial three-point jumper from junior
Emma Pique put the Bobcats up one, and the home team kept the lead for the remainder of the night.
Texas State continued its dominance, starting the second half of the game almost the exact same way it finished the first. The Bobcats went on a 9-0 scoring run going into the break and came out the other side with an 11-0 scoring run before Long Island scored its first basket in almost 10 minutes.
Burks finished the night with 20 points thanks to a 6-for-17 shooting performance from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe. Playing both sides of the ball, the Mexia native also managed a pair of rebounds and one steal on the night.
Fellow guard, Henderson, scored her 18 points thanks to stellar 7-for-14 shooting from the field and going 1-for-2 from beyond the arc. Though Henderson did not have as many trips to the free throw line as Burks, Henderson converted three of her four attempts.
Last but not least, Anderson finished with 16 points thanks to a 7-for-9 shooting effort on the floor and a perfect 2-for-2 from the free throw line. Defensively, the forward was the best of the trio, finishing the night with six rebounds, good enough for second-most on the team.
Senior
Lay Fantroy bested the Bobcats' defense with a team-high seven rebounds and three steals. Not only was Fantroy the best on defense, but her first two points of the night pushed her across the 1,000-career points threshold, becoming the 22nd Bobcat in program history to earn the honor.
Freshman
Addison Carr was also the most productive player off Texas State's bench, finishing the night as the only non-starter to finish in the double-digits in the plus-minus column. The center grabbed five rebounds including two offensive boards and three defensive ones.
On offense, Texas State shined in second chance points and points from turnovers, outscoring Long Island 15-2 on second chances and turning 21 Shark turnovers into 26 points. The Bobcats finished the night shooting 46.3% (25-for-54) from the field and a respectable 27.8% (5-for-18) from the three-point line.
UP NEXT
Texas State hits the road for the first time this season with a game against Chicago State on Saturday, Nov. 7. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on NEC Front Row.
