Photo Credit: Roy Burkhart III
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State came up with a big 86-76 win over Georgia State on senior day Saturday evening at Strahan Arena and now have sole possession of second place in the Sun Belt Conference. The Maroon and Gold finish the season with a 14-3 home record, marking the most wins at home since the 1993-94 season (15-0).
“It was a very intense game and I hope that everyone felt they got their money’s worth,” said head coach Danny Kaspar. “We did not play the kind of defense that we have been playing but they [Georgia State] are pretty good. Their guards are really good. We outrebounded them today which was good and we just found a way to pull it through. We made only four turnovers which I thought was the key. Georgia State depends on its press to turn teams over so we did good there. This team has come together and I think the kids are playing hard. I am very happy for all of them.”
The Bobcats (19-10, 12-6 Sun Belt) led by as many as 13 points in the first half and 11 in the second before the Panthers (18-11, 11-7 Sun Belt) used a 10-2 run capped by a triple from Justin Roberts to tie the game at 74 with 3:27 left to play. Senior guard Nijal Pearson responded with a jumper at the elbow to regain the lead for the home team and sparked a 9-0 run for the Bobcats to record their fifth consecutive victory at home.
Texas State ended the game shooting 46.8 percent from the floor and was 80.0 percent at the charity stripe. The team is now 9-0 in conference play when scoring over 70 points and 2-0 when scoring over 80. The Bobcats also matched a single-game record with just four turnovers.
The seniors put on a show on senior night, beginning with forward Eric Terry who matched a career-high 20 points (7-of-10) and three blocks in the win. It was Terry’s second game of his career with 20 points after doing so against Bethany earlier this year before Sun Belt play. He also finished with four rebounds, an assist and a steal. Pearson followed with 18 points and was one rebound shy of a double-double. Pearson also tallied three assists and three steals.
Three other Bobcats reached double figures, including sophomore guard Caleb Asberry (13), who also had a season-high three assists, sophomore forward Alonzo Sule (12) and junior guard Shelby Adams (11).
Junior guard Kane Williams led the Panthers with 23 points (17 points in the second half), seven rebounds and six assists. He also had one steal and one block. Junior guard Corey Allen finished with 17 points (all in the first half) and sophomore guard Justin Roberts and senior guard Damon Wilson ended the game with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Texas State opened the game with a 7-1 run and grew its lead to 14-3 after a 3-pointer from Adams with 15:39 on the clock. The Bobcats led by as many as 13 points in the half (18-5), but Davis picked up his second foul with 13:19 left in the half and the Panthers took advantage with their first run. The visiting teamed trimmed the lead as low as five points (20-15), but a personal 5-0 run by sophomore guard Caleb Asberry stretched the lead back to 10 points. GSU stayed the course, however, and cut the deficit to four points on multiple occasions, but Texas State continued its hot shooting and closed the half 3-of-3 from the floor and went into intermission with a 46-38 lead. Both teams shot over 50.0 percent from the floor and 40.0 percent from 3-point range. Sule led the Bobcats with 10 points and was followed by Pearson’s nine points and four rebounds. GSU’s Allen had 17 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including 3-of-3 from behind-the-arc.
Second Half
After trading a few baskets to start the half, the Panthers used a 10-1 run highlighted by seven straight points to cut the lead to 64-62 with 8:22 left in the game. The Bobcats answered quickly with four points, including a jumper from Adams that stopped a five-minute drought with no field goal. Moments TXST increased its lead to eight for an overall 8-2 run before GSU called for a timeout with 5:26 on the clock. Georgia State pieced together one final push, a 10-2 run that tied the game at 74 thanks to a 3-pointer from Roberts. However, Pearson came right back with a jumper at the elbow and after turnover by the Panthers, Terry muscled his way for a bucket while being fouled and completed the three-point play to give the home team a 78-74 lead with 1:16 left to play. From there the Bobcats went 4-of-4 from the free-throw line to cap a 9-0 run, sealing the game.
GAME NOTES
• Texas State matches its longest winning streak of four games for the second time this year.
• The Bobcats led wire-to-wire in this game and recorded their sixth win by 10 or more points in a Sun Belt Conference game this year.
• Texas State is 3-0 overall when five or more players score in double figures.
• It is the Bobcats first win this season when allowing 70 or more points (1-6) and first win with Terry as the leading scorer (1-2).
• The Bobcats outrebounded the Panthers 32-27, marking the fourth consecutive game they have outrebounded their opponent. TXST is 14-1 (8-1) when outrebounding its opponent this season.
• Five Texas State players reached double figures for the second time in a league game this season (vs. Coastal Carolina Feb. 6, 2020).
• Junior guard Marlin Davis led the team with five assists, marking the 9th time this season and 15th time in his career that he has recorded five or more assists in a game.
UP NEXT
Texas State will have one game next week when they trek down to UT Arlington for an 8 p.m. game on Friday, Feb. 28 at the College Park Center. The game will be played on ESPN 2.
