The University of Louisiana at Monroe (13-13 overall, 5-9 Sun Belt) didn’t make it easy on the Bobcats (17-6 overall, 8-3 Sun Belt) on Saturday afternoon, but in the end, Texas State secured its fifth straight win of the season with a 63-54 victory over the Warhawks.
The first frame was a defensive struggle with both teams shooting below 40%. Texas State began the game with the clamps on. Two blocks and two forced shot-clock violations kept the Warhawks down while the Bobcats took a 10-5 early lead.
ULM wouldn’t back down though, as the Warhawks fought their way to a four-point lead at 20-16 after a tough and-one finish from graduate guard Andre Jones. The Bobcats were able to stay in the game thanks to some timely free throws including an and-one from senior guard Shelby Adams that gave Texas State the lead at 30-27. Senior guard Harrison Russell then converted a layup to make the half-time score 30-29.
The Bobcats went 7-9 from the free throw line on their way to that one-point lead while the Warhawks relied on 12 points from Jones and 10 from Harrison to keep their first frame on track.
After that tightly contested first half, the Bobcats managed to pull away at the start of the second thanks to greater defense. Texas State forced four turnovers and held ULM to one make in the first five minutes after the break. That helped the Bobcats go on an 11-2 run that included a pair of nice looks inside for senior forward Isiah Small and some sweet shooting from Adams. That run put the ‘Cats up 10 at 41-31 with 14:27 to play.
ULM would try its best to tighten things up, but Texas State was able to hold on. The Bobcats’ lead was never any smaller than five from that point on. Consistent trips to the charity stripe kept the ‘Cats afloat, they made 13 freebies after securing that double-digit lead.
In fact, the Bobcats’ 20 made free throws might’ve been the biggest difference in the game, as ULM could only muster up 11 of its own freebies. Texas State’s active defense was the other key to victory. The ‘Cats got out and ran after turnovers and misses, resulting in 12 fast-break points while ULM could only collect one.
Adams scored a season-high 17 points to lead all Bobcats. Small added 15 points of his own to go along with two blocks and two steals. Senior guard Mason Harrell rounds out Texas State’s top scorers with 12, the 5’9” guard also managed to lead the team in rebounds with seven.
After a strong first half, Jones cooled off in the second, but was still able to lead the Warhawks in scoring with 20 points. It was the same story for Harrison who could only put up five points after the break to bring his game total to 15. No other Warhawk cracked double digits.
Now, the Bobcats turn to the final stretch of the season with four games left until the Sun Belt conference tournament. Next up they’ll face Arkansas State at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17 at Strahan Arena in San Marcos. The game will air on ESPN+.