Texas State Women’s Basketball A Year In Review

“This signing class is really special because each one of them are excellent students and great athletes,” Coach Z said of the early-signee class.

SAN MARCOS, Texas – With the calendar turning over to 2018, we look back on what was an amazing 2017 for the Texas State women’s basketball program.

Jan. 26, 2017 – Texas State Earns Fourth Straight Win
The Bobcats defeated South Alabama to start the streak on Jan. 14 by a score of 57-44. Current Bobcat starters Ti’Aira Pitts (13 points), Toshua Leavitt (12 points) and Taeler Deer (11 points) led the team to the victory. Five days later, TXST dropped ULM, 63-50, on the strength of five 3-points from Leavitt. She netted what was a career-high 19 points in the game. In the third game of the winning streak, Deer poured in 22 points to lead the Bobcats past Louisiana, 62-40. Ericka May ripped down a career-high 16 boards in the game. The streak ended following a convincing 53-37 win at Appalachian State. During the 12-day unbeaten streak, Texas State yielded just 42.8 points per contest, outscoring the four Sun Belt foes by 16 points.

Feb. 11, 2017 – School Record Shooting Performance Leads to Upset Over Little Rock
Texas State handed Little Rock its first Sun Belt Conference loss in 13 attempts. The Bobcats connected on 28-of-45 shot attempts (62.2-percent), setting a program record. The win gave TXST seven W’s in its last eight games. Deer paced the Bobcats with 16 points and seven boards.

March 6, 2017 – Deer Named Third Team All-Sun Belt
Deer earned her first career all-conference honor as she averaged a career-high 10.8 points per game to lead the Bobcats and rank No. 18 in the Sun Belt. During the regular season, she ranked second in the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.50) and 3-point field goal percentage (45.7), fifth in goal percentage (48.0) and seventh in assists (3.3). Deer finished the regular season reaching double-figures in 15 games.

March 13, 2017 – Texas State Makes Second Straight Appearance in the Postseason
The Texas State University women’s basketball team received a bid into the 2017 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) and hosted Eastern Washington in a first round game on March 16. TXST earned its third postseason appearance in the last four years as the Bobcats also played in the WBI in 2014 and 2015.

Nov. 2, 2017 – A Trio of Bobcats Honored on Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams
For the first time since joining the Sun Belt, Texas State had three players named to one of the three preseason all-conference teams. Both Deer and Leavitt were selected as second team members, while May was picked to the third team. The team was voted fifth in the preseason poll.

Nov. 14, 2017 – Deer Caps Career-Week with Sun Belt Player of the Week
Following the team’s 87-70 victory over Texas Tech to open the season, Deer was named College Sports Madness Mid-Major Player of the Week and SBC Player of the Week. The senior guard dominated the Red Raiders, scoring a career-high 44 points. She shot 17-of-27 from the field, both marks are career-highs. Deer matched Carol Ann Shudlick of Minnesota, who also scored 44 against Tech in an overtime game played in Wichita, Kan. on December 18, 1993. She topped Britteny Griner’s mark for most points scored by a Tech opponent inside of the United Supermarkets Arena. Deer also dished out a game-high eight assists and pulled down five rebounds in the victory.

Nov. 16, 2017 – Coach Zenarae Antoine Announced Early-Signee Class
Texas State signed four high school seniors to the 2018 signee class. Ja’Kayla Bowie, Da’Nasia Hood, Jaeda Reed and Kennedy Taylor have committed to the Bobcats to continue both their educational and basketball careers.
 
“This signing class is really special because each one of them are excellent students and great athletes,” Coach Z said of the early-signee class. “That combination is in line with the academic landscape that we strive for in our program.”

Dec. 6, 2017 – MacKenzie Pratt Drafted by the Bobcats
The Texas State women’s basketball team officially draft MacKenzie Pratt on Dec 5. MacKenzie, a 12-year old girl from Lake Canyon, Texas, is a Team IMPACT participant.  Team IMPACT is a non-profit organization whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children affected by life threatening or chronic illnesses by matching them with a collegiate team local to their home. MacKenzie was born with a Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) and an Atrial Septal Defect (ASD). Both ailments are abnormal openings within the walls of the heart. Fortunately for MacKenzie, those holes have closed without the help of surgery, but still requires close monitoring. As part of the Draft Day activities, head coach Zenarae Antoine welcomed MacKenzie to the Bobcat family with an opening address, MacKenzie signed her Team IMPACT letter, which made her an honorary teammate for the season.

Dec. 29, 2017 – Deer Eclipsed 1,000 Career Points in a Win Over Appalachian State
In the team’s first conference tilt of the 2017-18 season, Deer was spectacular. The senior guard made 11 of her first 12 shots from the floor on her way to 29 points. The game marked the second time during the season in which she toppled 25 points. With her 24th point of the game she hit 1,000 points as a Bobcat, becoming the fifth player to reach the milestone under Coach Antoine.

Dec. 31, 2017 – Leavitt Sank 10 3-Pointers Against Coastal Carolina
Leavitt, who is well on her way to becoming the most prolific 3-point shooter in school history, was unstoppable from behind the arc against the Chanticleers. The junior guard converted 10-of-14 shots from deep, shattering the school record for made triples in one game. She also matched Mari Sanchez’s Sun Belt record for 3-pointers made in one game. Sanchez made 10 on Feb. 23, 2002.

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