Bobcats Clipped By Chanticleers

The Bobcats will be back in San Marcos for the first time in almost a month, hosting South Alabama on Jan. 4.

CONWAY, S.C. – The Texas State women’s basketball team (8-5, 1-1 SBC) fell just short at the hands of Coastal Carolina (8-5, 1-1 SBC), 65-64, in a rare Sunday afternoon conference tilt inside the HTC Center. The loss marks the first in Sun Belt action this season for the Bobcats.

“We dug ourselves into a hole in the first half,” said head coach Zenarae Antoine. “We played much better in the second half, but that first half was sloppy. We cannot play like that in the first half, on the road and in conference, and expect to walk out with a win. Obviously, Toshua was tremendous, but she would be the first to tell you, she would rather the victory than the points. ”

The Chanticleers started the game off by hitting 6-of-7 shots, building an early lead in the first quarter. Coastal led by six, 21-15, at the end of the first frame. The Bobcats were unable to chip into the lead in the second quarter and trailed 38-30 at the halftime break. It was the fifth time this season that TXST trailed entering the half, and marked the largest halftime deficit this team has faced all year.

On the strength of an uptick in the defensive intensity, the Bobcats put a dent in the Coastal lead in the third quarter. Toshua Leavitt nailed a trio of 3-point attempts in the quarter, scoring nine of the Texas State 18 points in the frame. The Bobcats trailed by just three heading into the final stanza.

In the fourth, Texas State took its first lead of the contest, 59-58, with 4:40 of action left on a Leavitt three, her ninth of the game. Unfortunately, the Bobcats went the next four minutes without scoring and trailed 62-59 before Brooke Holle connected on a floater in the lane. The jumper cut the lead to 62-61 with 16 seconds remaining. TXST was forced to foul, sending Jas Adams to the line for a pair of free throws. She converted both to extend the Chanticleer lead to three points.

The Bobcats called timeout to advance the ball, but turned the ball over on the inbounds play. Naheria Hamilton made the second of two free throws to give CCU a 65-61 lead with two seconds left in the game. Leavitt drilled a tough fall-away 3-pointer from the corner to bring the Bobcats within one right before the buzzer sounded.

Leavitt put on a shooting clinic, knocking down a school-record 10 3-pointers on just 14 attempts. Her eighth 3-pointer of the game broke a four-way tie for the school record, a feat she accomplished on two separate occasions. Leavitt has made six or more 3-pointers in five games this season. In total, the junior guard tallied a career-high 34 points in the loss. She was 11-of-16 from the floor and hit both of her shots from the charity stripe. Leavitt added three rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals.

Holle was the only other Bobcat to reach double figures, scoring 12 points on the afternoon. She made 5-of-8 shots including 2-of-5 from the 3-point line. Holle also chipped in four boards and three steals.

The Bobcats will be back in San Marcos for the first time in almost a month, hosting South Alabama on Jan. 4. Tip is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside of Strahan Coliseum.

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