After nearly two weeks of game cancelations, Texas State men’s basketball (9-4, 0-1 Sun Belt) will square off against the University of Louisiana at Monroe (9-7, 1-3 Sun Belt) on Thursday night.
The team’s past matchups with South Alabama, Georgia Southern and Georgia State have been canceled due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols within the Bobcat program. 
In their last contest against Troy, the Bobcats were shorthanded, forcing Head Coach T.J. Johnson to rely on a six-man rotation for much of the game.
Senior guard Caleb Asberry gutted out the whole 40 minutes of the game, and sophomore guard Dylan Dawson only checked out for a minute. The pressure was too much to overcome as Texas State fell 78-63 to the Trojans.
Senior forward Isiah Small led the Bobcats in their valiant effort with 17 points and eight rebounds. Senior forward Nighael Ceaser wasn’t too far behind with 16 points and seven rebounds. Asberry’s big minutes led to 14 points, six rebounds and six dimes.
The loss marks Texas State’s second in a row after going on an eight-game win streak. The Bobcats look to right the ship Thursday night against the Warhawks.
ULM’s last tilt was a 90-83 loss to Arkansas State. The Warhawks gave up an 11-point half-time lead after going cold in the second frame. ULM shot a scorching 63% from distance in the first stanza, only to bottom out at 15% after the break.
Sophomore forward Nika Metskhvarishvili scored a career-high of 22 points, but only five of those came in the second half. Graduate guard Andre Jones finished second in scoring with 19 points as well as seven assists. Senior forward Russell Harrison was the third leading scorer with 18 points, he also collected six boards.
A win for Texas State would even out the record between the two teams. ULM currently holds a 30-29 all-time advantage over the Bobcats. Texas State won its last contest against ULM 61-57 on Feb. 27, 2021. 
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. on Jan. 13 at Strahan Arena in San Marcos. The game will air on ESPN+.