Texas State men’s basketball (6-4) traveled to Fort Worth over the weekend to face off against UT Arlington (4-7) in the Simmons Bank Showdown and managed to exit Dickies Arena with a six point win over the Mavericks, finishing with a final score of 65-71.
Graduate forward Nighael Ceaser helped prevent the Bobcats’ second straight loss, notching his third career double-double in this game with 23 points and 11 rebounds to contribute the win. 
Ceaser finished with the double-double in 31 minutes of play, while shooting 8-for-14 from the field along with a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line. Ceaser also managed to drain two shots from long range in the process. 
Head coach Terrence Johnson left some appreciation for Ceaser after the game, and said that at the power forward position, Ceaser allowed the game to come to him which resulted in a positive impact on the floor.
“He made tough shots around the rim and took full advantage of knocking down some open threes,” Johnson said. “When he is playing like that and still rebound at a high clip, we are a tough team to beat.”
The Mavericks trailed for the majority of the ball game, with its only lead coming in the opening minutes of the game where UTA led by three points.
Texas State regained the lead with points in the paint, exploiting a weakness in the Mavericks defense with the majority of first half points coming from inside.
The Bobcats entered the halftime break up nine, with a 33-24 lead.
The second half of action showed the Mavericks attempt to rally back, trailing by as much as 10 points and managing to get within four halfway through the second quarter.
The Bobcats prevented a late lead change with consistent free throw shooting down the stretch. Only missing two free throw attempts in 11 tries in the final minutes of the game, sealing the win for Texas State.
Johnson was proud of the way his team performed throughout Saturday’s win.
“Anytime you have a chance to compete against a rival school, can stay locked in like we did for 40 minutes and come out with a victory, you got to be proud of your guys,” Johnson said. “This was a great event that matched up pretty evenly matched teams. I thought our guys did a great job of responding.”
The Bobcats next game is set to tip off on Tuesday, Dec. 13, as Texas State is set to face off against Mary Hardin-Baylor at 7 p.m. in Strahan Arena. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+.