Texas State men’s basketball (2-1) will look for its third win of the season as it takes on the University of the Incarnate Word (1-2) Dec. 5 in Strahan Arena.
Texas State is looking to bounce back after losing 68-51 against Mississippi State University on Nov. 30.
The Bobcats struggled to shoot against Mississippi State, going 32.1% (17-53 field goals) and 26.7% (4-15) from the three-point line. Texas State also managed to keep its turnovers down, only committing seven.
Junior guard Mason Harrell led Texas State in scoring after recording 15 points (5-13 field goals, 3-4 three-pointers). Following Harrell in scoring was junior guard Caleb Asberry with 10 points on 57.1% (4-7) shooting.
So far this season for the Bobcats, Harrell leads the team in scoring, averaging 16 points (50% field goals, 60% three-pointers). Asberry is second with 10.7 per game (57.9% field goals, 60% three-pointers) off the bench.
Junior forward Alonzo Sule has been plagued with foul trouble early on this season. Despite starting all three games, Sule only averages 16 minutes a game. In his limited court time, Sule has managed to impact the games offensively averaging 9.7 points (47.4% field goals).
On the boards, senior forward Isiah Small leads the team with 5.7 rebounds per game, followed by Asberry with 4.7 and freshman forward Nate Martin with 3.7.
While rebounding well, Small has struggled scoring the ball. After scoring 17 points in the season opener, Small has gone scoreless in the last two games. Against Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Small did not attempt a shot from the field in 21 minutes of action and, against Mississippi State, he went 0-3 in 30 minutes on the court.
During the Cardinals’ last outing, they lost in overtime to the University of Wyoming Cowboys. Incarnate Word led for the majority of the game until a second-half run by Wyoming slowed them down and the game went into overtime. During overtime, the Cardinals would get outscored 16-5 and lose 94-83.
Despite the loss, Incarnate Word managed to shoot the ball 51.6% (32-62 field goals) and 52.6% (10-19 three-pointers).
Leading the Cardinals is sophomore guard Keaston Willis who averages 21.7 points and 6.7 rebounds per game and is shooting the ball 57.5% over three games. Following Willis, at 17.5 points per game and shooting the ball 50% from the field is freshman guard Josh Morgan.
This will be the first matchup between the two Texas schools that are only 49 miles apart from each other.
As of Dec. 3, the Bobcats sit in second place in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference as they continue non-conference play.
Tip-off is at 2 p.m. and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.