Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up: Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball & Men’s Basketball
Maroon & Gold Weekly Wrap-Up:
Bobcat Soccer, Volleyball & Men’s Basketball
Bobcats drop five-set match to the Ragin’ Cajuns
LAFAYETTE, La. – The winning streak comes to an end as Texas State (19-8, 11-2 Sun Belt) falls on the road to Louisiana (10-15, 6-6 Sun Belt) in five sets (25-20, 22-25, 25-20, 17-25, 10-15) Sunday afternoon at Earl K. Long Gym.
Sunday’s loss ends the Bobcats’ nine-match winning streak this season and five-match winning streak in head-to-head meetings vs. the Ragin’ Cajuns. The Bobcats are now 18-2 vs. Louisiana all-time. The last loss TXST encountered vs. La. dates back to Oct. 28, 2017, when the Bobcats loss in five sets at Earl K. Long Gym.
“We were beaten by a team that wanted it more than we did today,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “We lost the passing and serving game which we do not do often. But as I told the kids, the season is not over. It is a wake-up call and keep your heads up. We have three more games coming at home and we are still in first place right now. We just need to respond, get back to work, and take care of business.”
TXST held the advantage in kills (62-61), assists (59-56), digs (79-73) and blocks (10-7) yet could not pull out the victory. Louisiana was a tad bit more efficient as they outhit the reigning champions .241-.235 but did ace their opponent eight times to the Bobcats’ two.
Senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey matched her season-high 21 kills, a feat previously done in the first match vs. Louisiana this season (Sept. 27). Huskey also finished with nine kills, three blocks, and one ace. Sophomore Janell Fitzgerald logged her fifth consecutive match with double figures in the kill department, finishing with 16 to go along with four digs and two blocks. The freshman class had a strong outing Sunday starting with outside hitter Caitlan Buettner who turned in a career-high 11 kills to round out the top hitters, and middle blocker Tessa Marshall who had a career-night with highs of six blocks (Led all players) and eight kills. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt registered her 10th double-double this season with 48 assists and 23 digs. She also had two kills and one block. In addition to DeWalt, three players finished with 10 or more digs including sophomore defensive specialists Kayla Granado (13), junior libero Brooke Johnson (10), and senior DS Micah Dinwiddie (10) who also had one ace.
Louisiana’s junior outside hitter Hali Wisnoskie led all players with 25 kills (.333) and was followed by freshman right side hitter Celeste Darling’s 13 kills (.419). Sophomore outside Kelsey Bennett filled the stat sheet with a double-double performance that featured 10 kills, 17 digs, a team-high four blocks. She also had three digs and two aces. Junior setter Avery Breaux finished with 47 assists, nine digs, four kills and a match-high four aces, and junior libero Hannah Ramirez had a match-high 24 digs.
Set 1
The Bobcats used a 6-0 scoring run behind three blocks to take a 7-1 lead, forcing the Ragin’ Cajuns to burn their first timeout of the match. Louisiana’s 3-0 burst sparked a 12-7 run to bring the count to 15-13, but Texas State responded with a 3-0 run of its own and kept La. at bay, winning the opening set 25-20.
Set 2
Texas State scored first but Louisiana took the lead at 7-6 behind a 5-1 run and forced the visiting team to take their first timeout of the match with a 10-9 advantage. The Ragin’ Cajuns built a 17-13 margin, but the Bobcats continue to plow away and eventually tied the stanza at 21. Louisiana would close the set, however, on a 4-1 run to win the set 25-22 evening the match 1-1.
Set 3
The Bobcats came out the intermission firing on all cylinders and led the Ragin’ Cajuns 7-2 before the home team called their first timeout, and later extended the lead to 15-9 forcing Louisiana to use its final timeout of the set. The Ragin’ Cajuns fought back and pulled within three points at 17-14, but the Bobcats created enough separation with a late 4-0 scoring run and won the set 25-20.
Set 4
The Ragin’ Cajuns dominated the fourth set with a 25-17 win to force a fifth set. With the score knotted at 11, Louisiana went on a 4-1 run to bring the score to 15-12 and forced Texas State to call timeout. It did not help, however, as the Ragin’ Cajuns used another 4-2 burst to extend the lead 19-14, pressuring the Bobcats to use their final timeout. Ultimately La. closed the set on a 6-3 run to tie the match once more.
Set 5
Louisiana jumped out to a 7-1 lead after scoring six unanswered points and the teams switched sides with the Ragin’ Cajuns leading 8-2. Texas State scored the first point after the switch and used a 5-1 run to pull within four points at 13-9. The mountain was too high to climb, however, as Louisiana stole the match with a 15-10 victory.
The Bobcats will play their remaining three regular-season games at home in Strahan Arena beginning with a pair of matches next weekend vs. Little Rock (Nov. 8) and Arkansas State (Nov. 9).
Men’s Basketball Dominates in 91-54 Exhibition Victory over Cameron
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men’s basketball team dominated in a 91-54 exhibition victory over Cameron Friday night at Strahan Arena in the University Event Center. Nijal Pearson led the way a near double-double of 22 points and nine rebounds.
A jumper by Shelby Adams put the Bobcats in front 10-5 nearly five minutes into the game. After a layup by the Aggies on the next trip down the court cut the lead to three, TXST went on a 27-2 run over the next eight minutes to take control of the game. Capping off the run was Pearson knocking down a three-pointer.
CU scored 19 of the final 23 points of the half as the Bobcats held a 13-point advantage at the break.
The Aggies scored six of the first seven points of the second half to get within 42-34. That would be as close as the visitors would get as Pearson scored eight consecutive points to kick start a 32-4 run over the next 11:06.
For the contest, Texas State were 29-of-60 (48.3%) from the field with six made three-pointers and made 27-of-36 (75.0%) free throws. The Bobcats held CU to 37.9% shooting and 26.3% from beyond the arc. They also led in rebounding (41-32), assists (18-11), blocks (4-1) and steals (10-2).
Along with Pearson, Isiah Small (11) and Alonzo Sule (13) also reached double-figures in points. Quentin Scott added nine points and Mason Harrell contributed eight points to go along with his game-high five assists and three steals. In his first game back from an ACL injury in Jan. 2018, Marlin Davis handed out five assists with no turnovers, recorded two steals and netted five points.
The Bobcats open the regular season on Tuesday against Texas Lutheran. The game will tipoff following the conclusion of the women’s basketball contest that begins at 5:30 p.m.
Box Score: https://txstatebobcats.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=7029
Bobcats win ninth straight, tops ULM in straight sets
MONROE, La. – Texas State (19-7, 11-1 Sun Belt) logged its 11th sweep of the season after surviving ULM (11-16, 1-10 Sun Belt) in straight sets, 25-22, 25-15, 26-24 Friday night at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum. The Bobcats have now swept the season series vs. ULM for the seventh consecutive season and extends their 2019 winning streak to nine in a row.
“Well, I will take the win although I am disappointed in our play tonight,” said head coach Karen Chisum. “We did not pass the ball very well and hit a .174. I told the team afterward we cannot win the conference playing like that. We must be ready physically and mentally to play no matter who is in front of us. Yes, hats off to ULM who played way better than the first time we played them, but we were also really bad. But again, I am glad we got out with a win and now the most important match is the one on Sunday vs. Louisiana.”
Both clubs hit under .200 although the Bobcats held the advantage .174-.112. The Bobcats also outplayed the Warhawks statistically in kills (40-31), assists (36-26), and digs (63-46), and narrowly won the battle in aces (5-4) and blocks (7-6). With the win, Texas State completes its first season sweep of 2019 after defeating ULM earlier this year (Sept. 29). The Bobcats improve to 46-2 all-time against the Warhawks and have won the last 15 meetings, including sweeping the last seven consecutive matches.
The Bobcats had a pair of players finish with double-digit kills including senior outside hitter Cheyenne Huskey who registered her 10th double-double this season with 16 kills (.353) and 10 digs. She also added two blocks. Sophomore outside Janell Fitzgerald had 10 kills in the match on a .412 hitting percentage. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt nearly had a double-double herself after turning in 35 assists and had nine digs. DeWalt also finished with a match-high three aces and added one block. Junior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott led the team with four blocks and senior defensive specialist Rylie Fuentes led the back row with 13 digs.
Juniors outside hitter Ina Gosen and middle blocker Alix Christi led ULM with seven kills apiece. Gosen also paced the team with four blocks and two aces, and Christi finished with two blocks. Sophomore setter Mckinley Thiede had 13 assists and freshman setter Darby Fisher totaled 11 assists. Freshman outside hitter Madeline Hogan led all players with 19 digs.
Set 1
The Bobcats and Warhawks played a tight opening set featuring 12 ties and five lead changes that ultimately ended in a 25-22 victory for Texas State. Both teams fought to a 22-all set before Fitzgerald closed the frame by scoring two of the final three points. Both clubs hit under .100, but Huskey led all players with six kills followed by Fitzgerald’s five.
Set 2
TXST scored the first three points of the stanza and although ULM tied the match on six different occasions, the Bobcats never gave up the lead. With the score tied at 10, the Bobcats separated themselves with an 8-0 scoring run and cruised to a 25-15 victory to take a commanding 2-0 match lead.
Set 3
Both teams went on a number of runs and found themselves locked in a 15-15 set before ULM took the lead at 17-15, forcing the Bobcats to burn a timeout. Texas State leveled the field at 18, and a kill by Buettner put the visiting team back on top 19-18. The Bobcats did not relinquish the lead again as they sealed the match with a 26-24 victory.
Texas State will end the weekend at noon Nov. 3 vs. Louisiana in Lafayette, La.
Bobcats fourth in preseason poll, Pearson selected to 2019-20 Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference released its 2019-20 Men’s Basketball Preseason Poll Friday morning that projects Texas State finishing fourth. Senior guard Nijal Pearson was also voted to the Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team.
The Bobcats tallied 110 points and received one first-place vote in the preseason poll. South Alabama is picked to win the league after garnering 138 total points and eight first-place votes, UT Arlington had 124 votes and two first-place votes, and Georgia Southern received 121 points and one first-place vote. Louisiana (92 points) and Georgia State (76 points) round out the top half of the conference preseason standings.
Coastal Carolina (75 points) and ULM (72 points) slid into the No. 7 and No. 8 slots, respectively, and No. 9 Appalachian State (40 points), No. 10 Arkansas State (33 points), No. 11 Little Rock (32 points) and No. 12 Troy (22 points) rounded out the poll.
Pearson is the only Bobcat to be listed on the 2019-20 All-Sun Belt Preseason team and garners first-team accolades coming off an 2018-19 season that pegged him a 2019 All-Sun Belt First Team selection. The Beaumont, Texas native led the Maroon and Gold with 16.4 points per game and averaged 5.1 rebounds last season in 33.3 minutes per game. Pearson totaled 46 assists, 45 steals and six blocks in 33 starts. Starting since his freshman year, Pearson became the program’s leader with 102 games started and ranks No. 5 in all-time scoring with 1,521 points and No. 2 with 175 career made 3-point field goals.
The Bobcats are coming off a 2018-19 campaign that saw a 24-10 overall record, including a 12-6 conference mark, the most wins overall since the 1993-94 season and the most conference wins since joining the Sun Belt in 2013. Texas State made its second CIT postseason appearance in three years, but fell to Florida International, 87-81.
Texas State has an exhibition game tonight at 7 p.m. vs. Cameron at Strahan Arena before opening its regular-season schedule at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 5 vs. Texas Lutheran.
SEASON TICKETS
Season tickets are now available for purchase through the Texas State online ticket center website. Prices for season tickets will depend upon seating location. General admission season tickets will be available for as low as $99 and lower reserved seating options will start at $130. Any questions regarding 2019-20 Texas State men’s basketball season tickets can be addressed to the Texas State Athletics Ticket Office at 512-245-2272 or via email at gametickets@txstate.edu.
2019-20 SUN BELT CONFERENCE MEN’S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLL & HONORS
Preseason Coaches’ Poll
First-place votes in parentheses
- South Alabama (8) – 138
- UTA (2) – 124
- Georgia Southern (1) – 121
- Texas State (1) – 110
- Louisiana – 92
- Georgia State – 76
- Coastal Carolina – 75
- ULM – 72
- Appalachian State – 40
- Arkansas State – 33
- Little Rock – 32
- Troy – 22
Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team
Quan Jackson, Georgia Southern (RJr., G, Tallahassee, Fla.)3
Josh Ajayi, South Alabama (RSr., F, El Monte, Calif.)2
Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama (RSr., F, Austell, Ga.)3
Brian Warren, UTA (Sr., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)3
Nijal Pearson, Texas State (Sr., G, Beaumont, Texas)1
Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team
Justin Forrest, Appalachian State (Jr., G, Decatur, Ga.)
DeVante Jones, Coastal Carolina (So., G, New Orleans, La.)*
Ike Smith, Georgia Southern (RSr., G, Gainesville, Fla.)
Kane Williams, Georgia State (Jr., G, Douglasville, Ga.)
Michael Ertel, ULM (Jr., G, Indianapolis, Ind.)3
Preseason All-Sun Belt Third Team
Isaac Johnson, Appalachian State (Sr., F, Charlotte, N.C.)
Isaiah Crawley, Georgia Southern (Sr., F, Ripley, Tenn.)
Cedric Russell, Louisiana (Jr., G, Alexandria, La.)
JD Williams, ULM (Sr., G, Birmingham, Ala.)
Don Coleman, South Alabama (RSr., G, North Augusta, S.C.)
Preseason Player of the Year
Trhae Mitchell, South Alabama (RSr., F, Austell, Ga.)3
12018-19 First Team All-Sun Belt selection
22018-19 Second Team All-Sun Belt selection
32018-19 Third Team All-Sun Belt selection
*2018-19 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
Soccer No. 6 Seed in Sun Belt Championship, Face Arkansas State in First Round
NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference announced the official women’s soccer championship bracket Tuesday evening. It saw Texas State, which finished in a three-way tie for fourth, as the sixth seed and will face Arkansas State in the first round.
The Bobcats and Red Wolves will be the first match of the tournament that takes place in Foley, Alabama at the Foley Sports Complex. Kickoff is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 6 with the winner taking on either No. 2 Troy or No. 7 Louisiana that Friday.
In the regular season meeting back on Sept. 29 in Jonesboro, Arkansas, ASU came out on top 1-0 behind a penalty kick goal in the 28th minute. TXST was held to nine shots with only one being on goal, that coming off the foot of Kaylee Davis. Four saves were made by Heather Martin between the posts.
Next Wednesday will be the first-ever meeting between the programs in the Sun Belt Championship. Texas State leads the all-time series 5-3-0. All but one match (TXST 3-0; Oct. 27, 2013) has been decided by one goal.
The Bobcats will be playing in the conference tournament for the sixth time. Last season saw them reach the finals before falling on penalty kicks to Little Rock.
Sun Belt Release: https://sunbeltsports.org/news/2019/10/29/2019-sun-belt-womens-soccer-championship-field-set.aspx
2019 Sun Belt Championship Bracket: https://txstatebobcats.com/documents/2019/10/29//2019WSOC_champbracket_WSEEDS.pdf
Gilder-Tilbury joins NBA G League’s Westchester Knicks
SAN MARCOS, Texas – Former Texas State University men’s basketball guard Kavin Gilder-Tilbury will make an appearance in the NBA G League this season after becoming a member of the Westchester Knicks Saturday afternoon. Westchester (WC) is affiliated with the New York Knicks.
Gilder-Tilbury was the No. 28 pick in the first round of the 2019 NBA G League Draft held Saturday by the reigning 2018 G League Champions, Rio Grande Valley Vipers. He was later involved in a trade that would send himself along with Tim Bond to the Westchester Knicks for Kerwin Roach II (Texas) who was the No. 22 overall pick for WC.
Gilder-Tilbury has played professionally overseas in Germany for the last two seasons. Last year he averaged 12.9 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, 4.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.1 steals per game for Chemnitz 99 who is in the German Pro A League.
The Houston, Texas native was the first Bobcat to play all four years under head coach Danny Kaspar. He is the program’s all-time leader with 128 games played and ranks No. 3 with 3,345 minutes in action. Gilder-Tilbury also sits towards the top of the record book in career scoring with 1,385 points (No. 7), 169 career made 3-point field goals (No. 4), 127 career steals (No. 6) and 68 career blocks (No. 5).
His best season with the Maroon and Gold was his senior year (2016-17) where he was an All-Sun Belt First Team selection after averaging 15.9 points per game behind a 49 percent field goal percentage and a 38-percent clip from 3-point range. He also averaged 5.6 rebounds per game. That year the Bobcats went 22-14 overall, 11-7 in the Sun Belt and made their first appearance in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.
DeWalt, Teske claim Sun Belt weekly awards
NEW ORLEANS – The Texas State volleyball team cashes in with two Sun Belt Conference weekly award winners after a 2-0 weekend in the Carolinas. Sophomore setter Emily DeWalt was named Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Week and freshman outside hitter Lauren Teske was selected as the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week announced by the league Monday afternoon. This is the first time this season the Bobcats have won multiple weekly accolades.
For the second consecutive week, DeWalt was honored as the Setter of the Week after leading the Bobcats with 10.44 assists per set (94 total) over nine sets. DeWalt also finished with 16 digs, four aces, two blocks, and two kills. DeWalt turned in a season-high 50 assists at Coastal Carolina, marking the fifth time in her career that she totaled 50 or more assists in a match. She also had five digs, two blocks and two kills in the win. At Appalachian State, DeWalt recorded her 30th career double-double with a 44-assists and 11-dig performance. The Helotes, Texas native has 13 career-weekly plaudits and eight Sun Belt Conference Setter of the Week accolades.
Teske had a strong weekend, averaging 2.78 kills per set on a .328 hitting percentage in a pair of critical matches. Teske logged a career-high 14 kills and one solo block vs. the previous undefeated Chanticleers and followed that performance with 11 kills in the 3-2 victory at Appalachian State. This is Teske’s first career conference weekly award.
The Bobcats sit atop the Sun Belt Conference with a 10-1 mark after knocking off Coastal Carolina 3-1 and outlasting Appalachian State in five sets. Texas State is on an eight-match winning streak and will close out its road schedule of the 2019 campaign this weekend in Louisiana. The Bobcats will start the weekend with a 6 p.m. serve Nov. 1 at ULM in Monroe, La. and then face Louisiana at noon Nov. 3 in Lafayette, La.
Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week
Anett Nemeth, So., OH, Coastal Carolina
Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week
Diana Giordani, Jr., MB, Little Rock
Sun Belt Setter of the Week
*Emily DeWalt, So., S, Texas State
Sun Belt Freshman of the Week
*Lauren Teske, Fr., OH, Texas State
