Bobcats Drop 53-41 Decision to Panthers

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Georgia State showed its offensive prowess and had its way on Saturday, beating the Bobcats 53-41, at Strahan Coliseum.

The Panthers got out to a 28-14 lead, as reigning Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year R.J. Hunter scored nine early points to pace Georgia State. Kavin Gilder-Tilbury was limited to just eight minutes in the first half due to foul trouble, after holding Hunter to 0-of-10 from the three-point line in the first meeting between the two teams.

Hunter was held in check much of the second half, however, finishing just 4-of-16 from the field. He got to the free throw line nine times, making eight to finish with 17 points.

The Bobcats went on a 5-0 run towards the end of the first half to cut it to single digits. Cameron Naylor got an offensive rebound to extend a possession and Emani Gant followed it up with a layup making it just 28-19.

Wes Davis and Cam Naylor mesmerized the crowd to start the second half with a reverse layup by Davis and a strong dunk by Naylor which cut the lead to 33-26. Unfortunately, Georgia State went on an 11-3 run to take a 44-29 lead, its largest of the game.

Gant finished as the Bobcats’ leading scorer with 13 points while also chipping in eight rebounds. Gant also got after it defensively, with four steals and two blocks. His four steals tie his career-high done two other times this season.

The Bobcats will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 19, at UL Lafayette. The radio broadcast is available on 89.9 FM KTSW and txstatebobcats.com/radio.

Deadly Three-Point Shooting Lifts Bobcats to Win

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Strong three-point shooting paced the Texas State women’s basketball team to a 71-61 victory over Georgia State, Saturday afternoon at Strahan Coliseum. With the win, the Bobcats have earned 10 conference wins in back-to-back seasons for the first time since the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons.

Erin Peoples got the team off to a dominant start, outscoring Georgia State 7-0 by herself through the first two minutes of the game, including a three-pointer. All three of her field goals occurred on the team’s first three possessions of the game.

The rest of the Bobcats picked up where Peoples left off, combining for five three-pointers, including back-to-back triples from Taeler Deer, in the first half. Deer was coming off a Thursday game in which she hit a three-pointer to force overtime against UT Arlington.

Georgia State went on a 16-4 run to cut Texas State’s advantage to tie the game at 33-33 with 1:10 to go before half. Jacqueline Jeffcoat gave the Bobcats a lead at the break as she made a layup and then blocked the ensuing Panther shot as the Bobcats went to the intermission with a 37-35 lead.

Ayriel Anderson had one of the most impressive shots on the day, draining a three-pointer as the shot clock expired to give Texas State a 51-45 lead with 12 minutes to go. Earlier in the half Anderson earned the first blocked shot of her career, skying to knock a shot away as it caromed out of bounds.

Raven Burns extended the Bobcats’ lead hitting back-to-back three-pointers of her own as Texas State took a 59-47 lead. Burns finished the night tying her season-high with three made three-pointers and also had 10 points overall.

Peoples finished with a career-high 24 points to lead all scorers. She was 8-of-16 from the field and 7-of-7 from the free throw line to go with four assists, two blocks and two steals.

Texas State finished 11-of-24 from three-point range overall, its second most makes in a game this season. The team was also efficient from the free throw line, going 14-of-15. That is the Bobcats’ best performance from the line this year.

The Bobcats will be back in action on Thursday, Feb. 19, at UL Lafayette. The radio broadcast is available on 89.9 FM KTSW and txstatebobcats.com/radio. 

These stories were originally published on Texas State Bobcat Athletics