Texas State senior guard Shelby Adams (4) looks for an opening against St. Mary's University, Thursday, Nov. 4, 2021, at Strahan Arena. The Bobcats won 52-43.
Texas State (5-2) erased a 12-point halftime deficit for its fourth straight win, defeating the Rice Owls (4-4) 80-69 Tuesday night.
While the Bobcats were without their leading rebounder, senior forward Isiah Small, who was on the bench in a walking boot, senior guard Mason Harrell (24 PTS, 8-15 FGS, 1-2 3PTS, 7-8 FT, 3 AST, 1 STL) stepped up offensively earning himself a game and season-high of 24 points.
The team’s leading scorer senior guard Caleb Asberry (20 PTS, 6-15 FGS, 1-4 3PTS, 7-7 FT, 9 REB, 4 STLS), showed he could carry the load on the glass by grabbing a team-high of nine rebounds.
The Owls, who entered the game 2-0 at home, started the game off strong hitting three of their first five three-point attempts. Rice graduate guard Carl Pierre hit a pair of early three-pointers that helped the Owls’ offense get comfortable.
Within the first four minutes of the game, the Bobcats turned the ball over three times and were down 11-4 with 15:45 left in the first half.
The ‘Cats struggled to find offense early on and fell behind 24-14 with 7:39 left in the first half.
Texas State would cut the Rice lead to just six points, 24-16, with 6:18 left in the first half after a jumper by senior forward Nighael Ceaser.
The Owls took a 38-26 lead into halftime, they built their lead shooting 15-32 from the field and hitting 7-20 from the three-point line and had 11 assists as a team. The Bobcats shot 0-3 from the three-point line in the first half and 12-32 from the field.
Pierre was the only player to reach double digits at halftime as he had 11 points in the first half.
A 12-0 run by the Bobcats tied the game at 38-38 to start the second half as the ‘Cats found their rhythm on offense. Texas State started 4-5 from the field during that run.
The Bobcats came out of halftime on defense in a three-quarter court press that made it difficult for the Owls to get into their half-court offense.
Both teams traded buckets before Asberry tied the game 44-44 with a free throw after being fouled on a tough jump shot.
Junior guard Drue Drinnon gave the Bobcats their first lead of the second half, 46-44, on a running bank shot over two Rice defenders.
A jumper by sophomore guard Dylan Dawson was the end of a 7-0 Bobcats run. The Owls would go on a 6-0 run of their own after a pair of threes by Pierre and sophomore guard Quincy Olivari gave them a 50-48 lead.
Both teams were in the bonus shooting free throws with nine minutes to play which slowed the game down as they took turns at the free-throw line.
In its three-quarter court press defense, Texas State forced a poor pass from Rice that ended up in the hands of senior guard Shelby Adams. The ‘Cats capitalized off the turnover with a layup by Asberry, putting them up 56-51 Bobcats with 7:47 left.
A few possessions later, another wayward Rice pass led to a steal and coast-to-coast finish by Adams.
Rice continued to battle back, and Texas State was unable to pull away until Harrell exploded for seven straight points earning the ‘Cats a 65-60 lead.
The Bobcats on bench jumped to their feet once they sensed an incoming win after a hook shot by sophomore forward Nate Martin put them up 71-64 with just 1:43 left to close it out. Texas State finished the game with an 80-69 win over Rice.
Throughout the game’s entirety, the Bobcats hit 22 out of 24 free throw shots in the game. Rice, on the other hand, shot just 7-14 from the charity stripe.
In a tale of two halves, the Bobcats outscored Rice 54-31 in the second half. The Owls shot just as well in the second half as they did in the first, going 10-22 from the field and 5-10 from the three-point line. But the Bobcats won the turnover margin 10-2 in the second half and scored 29 points off turnovers in the game.
Along with Harrell and Asberry, Adams (13 PTS, 5-14 FGS, 3-3 FT, 3 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL) and Ceaser (11 PTS, 4-6 FGS, 3-3 FT, 6 REB) scored in double figures for the ‘Cats.
The Bobcats will seek their fifth win in a row as they return home to play against Denver at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Strahan Arena. The game will air on ESPN+.