The Texas State men’s basketball team picked up two crucial victories this weekend to move up to third in the Sun Belt Conference, taking down the University of Louisiana-Monroe 71-51 at home Thursday night before returning to Strahan Arena to beat the University of Louisiana-Lafayette 71-66 on Saturday.
Texas State has won six of their last seven games and moves to 14-9 overall and 7-5 in the Sun Belt.
The Bobcats capped off their successful weekend with a 71-66 win over ULL Saturday evening, completing a season sweep of the Louisiana schools.
After falling down 7-6 in the first couple of minutes, Texas State retook the lead 10-7 and went into the half with a 30-23 lead. The Bobcats never looked back and went up by as much as 16. The Cajuns started chipping away for a comeback in the final minutes but started their run too late as the ‘Cats took the sweep.
Senior guard Nijal Pearson led the Bobcats with 17 points, while sophomore guard Alonzo Sule stepped up for the second time in the weekend as he scored 13 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Shelby Adams rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points.
The win came after a 71-51 late-game victory over ULM Thursday night.
Texas State started off slow, falling down by as much as 10 in the first half. A 29-9 run at the 6:45 mark in the second half sparked a change for the Bobcats, who put together a strong second half and outscored the Warhawks 47-21. The Bobcats shot 45.7% from the floor (16-of-35) and hit five three-pointers in the second.
Adams held ULM’s junior guard Michael Ertel to four points in the second half after scoring 14 in the first and adding 12 points himself in the game. Sule had a team-high of 15 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while junior forward Isiah Small also added 10 points.
Head Coach Danny Kaspar said that the second-half surge was made possible by turnovers and a tight defense.
“I thought our defense in the second half was outstanding,” Kaspar said. “If you play really good defense, you’ll score points. A lot of our turnovers turned into layups and we had more offensive possessions because of our defense.”
Adams had a big weekend with two double-digit scoring games and a solid defensive performance. Pearson said Adams has always had a large impact on the team.
“I’ve always believed in Shelby,” Pearson said. “His energy is contagious. When he plays well, obviously we play well. You can see that from these past two games. None of this surprises me, this is the same thing I’ve seen the past three years.”
Adams said that his weekend performances went well due to his teammates and self-assurance.
“I just need to stay confident and stay in attack mode,” Adams said. “My teammates have consistently talked to me and given me confidence. Along with all of that I just have to believe in myself, and it’s been working.”
The Bobcats will hit the road to face Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Thursday. The ‘Cats have won their past three games against the Chanticleers, including a 78-66 win earlier this season.
Coastal Carolina (12-11, 5-7) is currently ninth in the Sun Belt Conference and is coming off an 83-77 win against Arkansas State. When they faced the Bobcats Jan. 9, they were up 43-34 at the half but were outscored 44-23 in the second.
The Bobcats will travel to Conway, South Carolina for their next game against Coastal Carolina at 6 p.m. on Thursday.