Texas State men’s basketball team (7-6) competed at home on Wednesday against The University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (8-4 overall, 6-1 Sooner Athletic Conference), defeating the Drovers with a final score of 87-72.
An exhibition game for the USA Oklahoma Drovers saw four Texas State players set a new career high in points or tie their current.
Senior guard Mason Harrell finished the contest with a game-high 27 points on 11-for-19 shooting, while also knocking down three shots from long range.
Harrell played alongside senior guard Drue Drinnon who also had a career night, recording 16 points, four assists and knocking down four 3-pointers of his own.
Head coach Terrence Johnson had praise for the way his guards played, specifically Drinnon, and said that he thought they led the team in a positive way.
“I thought he did a really good job of driving the bus,” Johnson said. “With both he and Mason [Harrell] on the floor together, it gives us a playmaking ability as well as shot making ability.”
The first period of play saw Texas State break out to a large lead halfway through the quarter after breaking a short 3-3 tie at the beginning of the game.
The Bobcats led by as much as 14 and finished the half with a 12-point lead over the Drovers, heading to the locker room with a score of 41-29.
In the second half Texas State managed to maintain the double-digit lead for most of the quarter.
Texas State extended the lead to 20 points with only 3:30 left to play in the game, marking the largest lead of the game.
The Bobcats finished with a comfortable 15-point win over the USA Oklahoma Drovers, exiting Strahan Arena with a final score of 87-72.
Johnson said that wins are hard to come by, no matter who the opponent is.
“It’s college basketball, anybody can beat anybody on any given night,” Johnson said. “We knew that this was a good team coming in.”
This win breaks a two game losing skid for the Bobcats, and Johnson said he is proud of the way the team responded right before heading into conference battle.
“I felt like our guys played hard and were focused throughout,” Johnson said. “I thought we did what we needed to do to win the game.”
Texas State is set to play its next game at home against The University of Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, marking the beginning of conference play for the Bobcats.
The game will air on ESPN+ and tip off is set for 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 29 at Strahan Arena.