Texas State To Play In Hatter Classic

Only three coaches in program history have guided the women’s basketball program to 100 wins: Suzanne Fox (1997-2011), Judy Rinker (1966-75) and Linda Sharp (1989-1997).

DELAND, Fla. – Texas State women’s basketball will compete in the Hatter Classic on the campus of Stetson University on Dec. 20 and 21.

The Bobcats will take on the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at 3 p.m. EDT on the first day of action before taking on host Stetson at 1 p.m. EDT on Thursday. The game with the Hatters will be broadcasted live on WatchESPN.

Last Time Out for the Bobcats
• Texas State handled former Southland Conference foe Sam Houston State on Dec. 17, defeating the Bearkats by a score of 73-41 inside the Johnson Coliseum.
• Toshua Leavitt paced the Bobcat attack, pouring in a game-high 25 points. The junior guard netted seven 3-pointers, matching her output from the quarterfinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championships last season. Brooke Holle also scored in double figures, chipping in 18 points, including five shots from deep.
• In the second and third quarters combines, the Bobcats outscored the Bearkats, 37-11. Sam Houston State connected on just 4-of-24 (16.6-percent) of their shots in that critical stretch. In fact, the first over the first nine minutes of the second quarter, SHSU failed to score a single point and missed all 15 shot attempts. The Bobcats started the quarter on a 24-0 run, pushing the game from a 26-16 score to a resounding 50-16 lead.

TXST in the Hatter Classic
• This season marks the second time that the Bobcats have competed in the Hatter Classic. Texas State last played in the event during the 2014-15 season, defeating Bethune-Cookman by a score of 51-40 before falling to host Stetson, 75-57.
• Stetson is widely considered one of the premier Mid-Major programs in the country, having played postseason basketball every season since 2010-11, including three trips to the NCAA tournament.
• Bethune-Cookman won the MEAC regular season conference championship before falling to Hampton in the MEAC Championship game last season. The Wildcats have played in the WNIT in each of the last two seasons.

Bobcats for Three
• Texas State caught team-fire against UTSA on Dec. 5, knocking down a school-record 15 3-point field goals on 30 attempts. The record stood for just 12 days as TXST drilled 16-of-28 attempts in the win over Sam Houston State on Dec. 17.
• The Bobcats have scorched the nets from deep all season, canning 11.0 3-point shots per contest, which ranks third in the NCAA.
• Toshua Leavitt leads the 3-point barrage for the Bobcats this season, netting 41 shots from deep this season. Her 4.56 made triples per contest not only tops the SBC ranks but is also No. 1 in the NCAA. Leavitt’s 41.0-percent ranks fourth in the Sun Belt amongst qualified 3-poinnts shooters.
• In total, four Bobcats have converted at least 10 3-point attempts, while nine have made at least one shot from behind the arc this season.
• The team is shooting 38.2-percent from deep, which ranks first in the conference and is No. 31 in the country. Defensively, the Bobcats surrender makes on just 22.7-percent of shots from long range, which also ranks first in the conference and sixth in the NCAA.

Leavitt, Deer Climb Up the Record Books
•  In just her third season at Texas State, junior guard Toshua Leavitt has cracked the top-5 list for most career made 3-point attempts with 158, passing the great Joyce Ekworomadu (154) for fifth in school history.
• Leavitt trails only Ekworomadu in 3-pointers in a season after knocking down 77 triples as a sophomore. Joyce connected on 82 triples during the 2007-08 season.
• Taeler Deer leads the Sun Belt Conference in assists this season with 7.1 per contest. Deer is also climbing up the school’s record book. After Sunday’s nine assists effort, the senior guard is now fifth in school history with 280 career dimes. She passed recent Athletics Alumni Hall of Honor inductee, Yolanda Wilkerson (277) to move into the top-5.

Quest for 100
• Coach Z improved to 95 career wins as the head coach of the Texas State women’s basketball team. Only three coaches in program history have guided the women’s basketball program to 100 wins: Suzanne Fox (1997-2011), Judy Rinker (1966-75) and Linda Sharp (1989-1997). In her first season at Texas State, the 2011-12 campaign, she led one of the best turnarounds in school history, taking a 9-20 team the year before, to 17-14, including the school’s first conference tournament win since 2003. During her run at TXST, Coach Z has averaged nearly 15 wins per season and has taken the Bobcats to the WBI in three of the last four seasons.

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