Men’s Basketball Hosts In-State Rival UTA On ESPN2
The teams have split the last four meetings with the Bobcats eliminating UTA from the Sun Belt Tournament in the semifinals by the score of 83-62 last season.
SAN MARCOS, Texas – The Texas State men’s basketball team closes out the regular season on ESPN2 Friday night in Strahan Coliseum against in-state rival UTA at 6 p.m. Prior to the game, the team will recognize seniors Tyler Blount, Deris Duncan and Immanuel King for their contributions to the program.
Entering the contest, the Bobcats are 14-16 overall and 7-10 in the Sun Belt Conference while the Mavericks are 18-12 overall and 9-8 in conference play.
Bill Culhane will have the call on the radio with the game being broadcast on AM1300 The Zone out of Austin and KTSW 89.9 FM out of San Marcos. Fans can also listen to the game through the iHeartRadio and TuneIn Radio apps on their mobile device. Live stats will be available for the game with a link on the team’s schedule page.
Providing commentary on TV will be Dave LaMont (play-by-play) and Lance Blanks (color).
Nijal Pearson leads the team in scoring (14.6), rebounding (6.0), made three-pointers (51) and steals (39). On Saturday against Georgia Southern, he surpassed 900 points in his career. The sophomore is also 31 minutes shy of becoming the first Bobcat in school history to play 1,000 minutes in multiple seasons.
Leading TXST with a 60.2 field goal percentage and 25 blocks is King. The big man ranks second in scoring (9.3) and rebounding (5.9). He is five blocks shy of tying former teammate Kavin Gilder-Tilbury for fifth on the school’s career list.
Coming off a career-high 27-point performance, Tre’Larenz Nottingham increased his scoring average on the season to 7.6 points per game. The junior is dishing out 2.5 assists per game with at least four in the last three contests.
Blount has connected on a team-high 40.0 percent of his three-point attempts with 44 makes on his way to putting up 6.8 ppg. Also netting over six points a contest is Alex Peacock at 6.6 ppg and he is also grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game.
Scouting UTA
UTA is coming off two victory weekend in which it defeated Georgia Southern (83-63) and Georgia State (89-81). When playing on the road this season, the Mavericks are 4-10 overall and 1-7 in the SBC. Their lone victory in conference action was on Jan. 13 at Arkansas State by the score of 97-71. Since then, UTA has lost four straight away from the College Park Center.
Kevin Hervey enters averaging 21.2 ppg (#2 in SBC, 30th in NCAA) and 8.8 RPG (#2 in SBC). He has made 45.9 percent from the field, made 34.3 percent on three-pointers with 69 made treys and shares the team lead in free throw percentage at 77.5 percent.
Converting the same free throw percentage is Erick Neal. The point guard is dishing out a SBC leading 6.9 apg, which is also the 10 most in the nation. He is netting 16.0 ppg on 42.7 percent shooting and 38.5 percent from beyond the arc. Defensively, the senior has recorded 60 steals to pace the conference and rank 28th in the country.
Kaelon Wilson, who did not play in the first meeting this year because of an injury, is netting 11.6 ppg with a 41.0 field goal percentage. When shooting from long distance, his percentage increases to a team-high 45.9 percent with 39 makes.
In the paint, Johnny Hamilton is averaging 10.7 ppg behind a team-high 60.8 field goal percentage and 7.7 rpg. The graduate transfer from Virginia Tech leads the SBC and is 17th in the NCAA with 72 blocks.
Nathan Hawkins contributes 6.4 ppg and Davion Turner is putting up 5.5 ppg. They have combined to make 56 three-pointers this season.
All-Time vs. Mavericks
UTA leads the all-time series over Texas State 37-32. In the first meeting this season, the Mavs won 70-68 in overtime. Nottingham scored a then career-high 24 points and Pearson recorded a double-double of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
The teams have split the last four meetings with the Bobcats eliminating UTA from the Sun Belt Tournament in the semifinals by the score of 83-62 last season.
When playing in San Marcos, TXST holds a 20-13 advantage in the series. Last time in Strahan Coliseum was Jan. 7, 2017 that saw the Bobcats win 81-73. That was the first time beating UTA at home since Feb. 12, 2011. TXST has won consecutive home games against the Mavs since three straight from 2008 to 2011.
For the latest on Texas State men’s basketball, visit the official website of Texas State athletics at www.txstatebobcats.com, follow the team on Instagram and Twitter at @TxStateMBB and like on Facebook at /TexasStateMensBasketball.
Live Stats: http://stats.statbroadcast.
Video: http://www.espn.com/watch/
Audio: http://txstatebobcats.com/
PledgeIt 3-Point Challenge: https://pledgeit.org/cvc18-
Game Notes: http://txstatebobcats.com/
