Men’s Basketball Scores 90 In Win Over Huston-Tillotson

Coach Danny Kaspar called several timeouts throughout the first half in frustration. The Texas State men’s basketball team allowed Huston-Tillotson to score 35 points in the first half.

Kaspar’s goal was to allow fewer than 55 points against Huston-Tillotson, a non-Division I competitor. With better defense in the second half, the Bobcats fell one point short of that goal in its 90-56 victory.

“When your starters are not playing well and one of your starters is out, particularly your point guard, there’s some good things about this game and there’s some individual negatives,” Kaspar said. 

Kaspar was persistent on getting Austin Evans, freshman center, and transfer Ed Seay, sophomore forward, playing time. The only way possible was to convert over to a zone defense allowing at least one big man in the lineup.  

Evans finished with six points and three rebounds in four minutes.

“I’m just trying to be ready when ever my name is called,” Evans said. “Whenever I get in I try to be as productive as I can, try to stay lose on the bench. We are definitely a family, so I think everyone wants to see each other succeed.”

The Bobcats man-to-man strategy was not holding up against Huston-Tillitson senior forward Ronzelle Fort. The Rams guards were feeding Fort the ball at the earliest opportunity.

In the first half Fort tallied 14 points. After switching to the zone defense, Fort was only able to put up five more points. 

“There were times when I thought we can’t stop their penetration and their scoring,” Kaspar said. “We went to the zone late because they went to a five guard line up.”

Texas State recorded 90 points as a whole, marking a season high for the team. The Bobcats shot 9 of 17 from 3-point range, with four Bobcats tallying at least one 3-pointer. Wes Davis, senior guard, and Victor Bermudez, senior guard, combined for six 3-pointers.

“If we can continue to knock down shots from the outside, I feel that teams have to get out on the perimeter more,” Davis said. “Which leaves us to give it to our leading scorer Emani which will open up a lot of things for us.”

Texas State shot 53 percent from the field and held the Rams to 38 percent. 

“We all just want to see each other prevail,” Evans said. “When you can put people in and they’re productive and they do their job, it’s a huge factor along with the cheering and commradary, definitely makes a difference.”

D.J. Brown, senior guard, and Cameron Naylor, junior forward, were both absent from the game. Brown has been nursing a sore knee and Naylor took a hard fall against Stephen F. Austin resulting in a back injury.

Naylor and Brown are projected to be active in the lineup Dec. 30 against Troy, as the team begins conference play.

Sabrina Flores is a sports reporter for the University Star where this story originally published. It is reprinted here through a news partnership between the University Star and the Corridor News | @CorridorNews | @Corridor_Sports