Texas State men’s basketball (0-1) was defeated 71-66 by the University of Arkansas Little Rock (1-0) in its 2023-24 season opener Monday night at Jack Stephens Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Texas State junior forward Brandon Love and freshman guard Kaden Gumbs combined for 20 points. Love also had 10 rebounds, marking his first double figures performance of his collegiate career. Junior guard Josh O’Garro scored a team-high 15 points along with eight rebounds for Texas State.
The Trojans took a 12-7 lead after a three-pointer and a steal-turned-layup from graduate student forward DeAntoni Garden. Garden finished the game with 13 points. Little Rock ended the first half with another run to maintain its lead at 38-34. Little Rock never trailed for the remainder of the game.
The Trojans’ 20 fast break points played a prominent role in their victory as they forced the Bobcats to turn the ball over 22 times. Texas State only forced 12 turnovers and shot 2-8 from behind the arc.
The Bobcats dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Trojans 53-31. However, the Little Rock offense was too much for the Bobcats to handle.
Little Rock senior guard Khalen Robinson caused havoc for the Bobcats’ defense, scoring a game-high 24 points, 14 of which came from the free-throw line. Robinson also added five steals.
“Little Rock is a hard-nosed team. They did a good job of turning us over tonight. I’m proud of the fight we showed,” Texas State Head Coach Terrence Johnson said. “We need to clean up some of our turnovers and work on executing down the stretch.”
Texas State will look to rebound from the disappointing loss in its next matchup versus the University of Miami Ohio (0-1).
The Redhawks will also enter the game seeking a win after losing their season opener 72-64 to Evansville University Monday night.
Tip-off between Texas State and Miami is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 11, at Strahan Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
