Despite a second-half comeback, Texas State women’s basketball’s (7-9 overall, 4-7 Sun Belt) lost 63-49 against the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (10-7 overall, 6-4 Sun Belt) on Feb. 6.
The game swayed toward Texas State early in the first quarter, going up 6-0 in the first four minutes. The Bobcats were able to handle anything the Trojans threw at them. Little Rock slowly chipped away at the lead and finally took a 14-12 lead with 15 seconds left in the first.
Neither team managed to score in the first four minutes of the second period until the Trojans went on a 7-0 run to make the score 21-12 with 4:35 until the break. After back-to-back layups from junior forward Da’Nasia Hood, Little Rock went on an 8-0 run to take a 13-point lead. With 37 seconds left in the half, the ‘Cats were able to score off a high-arching three over two Trojan defenders from senior guard Gabby Standifer. The game went into halftime with Texas State down 29-19.
Texas State again had to rely heavily on Hood who scored seven of the Bobcats 19 going into the second half. Defensively, the Bobcats struggled trying to contain Little Rock as the Trojans were able to score in tight windows.
As the third quarter commenced, the ‘Cats changed their defensive look from man to zone and were able to cause the Trojans to take hard contested shots. Texas State was still down but showed signs of life, ending the quarter on a 15-7 run to make the score 46-41 going into the final period. During the last 6:25 of the third, junior guard Ja’Kayla Bowie shot 5-5 and scored 12 points for the Bobcats.
For the fourth quarter the Trojans were able fill up all holes exploited by Texas State and again relied on their offensive ability to score off the pick and roll. The Bobcats struggled greatly compared to their offensive surge in the previous quarter, not making field goals and only being able to score off free throws. The Trojans contained anything the Bobcats came up with and were able to respond with their own impressive scoring run. Little Rock outscored Texas State 17-8 in the final period, winning 63-49.
Bowie was the leading scorer and rebounder for the Bobcats, finishing with 14 points (6-9 FGS, 2-4 3FGS) and seven rebounds. Following Bowie was sophomore forward Lauryn Thompson with 11 points (2-3 FGS, 7-8 FTS), junior guard Kennedy Taylor with nine points (3-9 FGS, 1-4 3FGS, 2-2 FTS) and Hood (4-13 FGS) with nine as well. Taylor also had six assists.
All seven Little Rock players who touched the floor scored at least six points, including 13 points off the bench compared to Texas State’s four bench points.
For the Trojans, sophomore guard Ky’Lie Scott led the way with a game-high 18 points (7-12 FGS, 4-7 3FGS). Junior guard Mayra Caicedo finished with nine points (3-5 FGS, 1-2 3FGS, 2-2 FTS), eight assists and five rebounds.
Next up, Texas State will play the University of Texas at Arlington at 7 p.m. on Feb. 11 at Bobcat Stadium.