Two teams will enter Saturday afternoon on a win-streak, only one will leave with theirs intact. Texas State men’s basketball (16-6 overall, 7-3 Sun Belt) is riding a four-game win-streak while the University of Louisiana at Monroe (13-12 overall, 5-8 Sun Belt) just picked up its third straight.
The Bobcats are coming off a 82-73 win over the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. Texas State got off to a fast start, taking an early 19-7 lead thanks to some sweet shooting from distance. However, Louisiana would fight back, holding the ‘Cats scoreless for over six minutes, allowing the Ragin Cajuns to chip away and eventually take a 21-19 lead.
The two squads would continue to trade blows for much of the game until Texas State pulled away late, going on a 20-11 run to close after being tied at 62 with 6:21 to play. Senior guard Mason Harrell was the man come crunch time, scoring 15 points in the final 10 minutes of the game to help edge out Louisiana.
Those 15 points added to Harrell’s total of 20 for the night, making him the Bobcat’s leading scorer. Senior guard Caleb Asberry was second with 16 points, half of which came from the free throw line. Senior forward Isiah Small finished third with 15 points and led the team in rebounds with seven.
ULM’s third win in a row came against the University of Texas at Arlington. The Warhawks were able to hold on in the final seconds of the game to outlast UTA 74-71. Graduate guard Andre Jones, the reigning Sun Belt conference player of the week, scored a team high 23 points while also handing out six assists and collecting seven boards.
Jones was absent in Texas State’s last matchup with ULM on Jan. 13. That contest ended in an 80-56 blowout for ULM. The shorthanded Warhawks were unable to get much going offensively, shooting 32% overall and 23% from distance. The Bobcats last win against ULM tied the all-time record between these two teams at 30-30. Come Saturday, that tie and one of these win-streaks, will be broken.
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the Fant-Ewing Coliseum in Monroe, Lousiana. The game will air on ESPN+ .