Coach Antoine Earns Win No. 100

“We knew coming into this game that we needed to slow Gabriella Cortez down,” head coach Zenarae Antoine said.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State women’s basketball team (12-6, 5-2 SBC) dismantled visiting ULM (4-13, 1-5 SBC), 86-52, on Thursday evening inside Strahan Coliseum.

With the victory, head coach Zenarae Antoine became the fourth coach in Texas State women’s basketball history to reach 100 career wins with the Bobcats. She joins Suzanne Fox (174 wins), Judy Rinker (145 wins) and Linda Sharp (138 wins) in the exclusive 100-win club.

“We knew coming into this game that we needed to slow Gabriella Cortez down,” head coach Zenarae Antoine said. “We have struggled in the past, allowing the opponent’s best player to ‘go-off’ in a number of games. Holding her to eight points was a big key for us in this game.”

The Bobcats jumped out to an early 6-1 lead on a pair of triples from sharpshooter Toshua Leavitt. Her first made 3-pointer of the evening gave her 197 for her career, the most ever by a Bobcat basketball player. She came into the game tied with Sarah Wagner for the all-time lead.

ULM responded by scoring eight of the next points in the ball game, taking a one-point lead. Senior guard Taeler Deer decided to take over in that moment, scoring the next 12 points for Texas State. Deer knocked down a trio of 3-point tries, including a four-point play during the run. Her scoring burst allowed the Bobcats to take a commanding 23-11 lead heading into the start of the second quarter.

After a lethargic effort on the defensive end of the floor from TXST, the Warhawks were able to gain a point back. ULM netted 21 points in the second frame but still trailed 43-32 at intermission.

After yielding 21 points in the second quarter, the Bobcats allowed just 20 points in the second half. The defensive clamps led to easy offense for Texas State. In total, the Bobcats outscored the Warhawks, 43-20 in the second half.

Deer led all scorers with 36 points, her second highest output this season. The Houston, Texas native connected on 13-of-20 shots from the floor, including a career-best six 3-point field goals. Deer chipped in a game-high seven assists and added three steals in just 29 minutes of action.

Leavitt provided even more history on an already momentous night for Texas State women’s basketball. The junior guard registered 19 points on 5-of-10 shooting from behind the 3-point line. Leavitt’s fourth triple of the night gave her 83 made 3-pointers on the season, the most ever by a women’s basketball player at Texas State. She eclipsed the mark set by Joyce Ekworomadu in the 2007-08 campaign. She now holds the school records for made 3-pointers in a career (201), season (84) and single game (10).

Brooke Holle returned to action following a brief hiadous from the Bobcat lineup. In her return, she netted eight points, grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and dished out a pair of dimes. Jayla Johnson took advantage of extended minutes, scoring a career-high nine points in 11 minutes off the bench.

The Bobcats will face another quick turnaround, taking on Louisiana on Jan. 20 at Strahan Coliseum. The Ragin’ Cajuns come to town for a 2:00 p.m. tip. The two teams met three times a season ago, Louisiana captured two victories, including a Sun Belt Conference Championships victory over TXST in New Orleans.

For all things Texas State women’s basketball, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.