Freshman guard Kaden Gumbs scored 13 points as Texas State men’s basketball (2-3) was defeated in its first game of the Louisiana Tech MTE 59-48 by McNeese State University (5-1) Wednesday afternoon at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana.
Gumbs, who saw 39 minutes of action, also dished out three assists. Junior guard Josh O’Garro scored nine points and grabbed nine rebounds, while fifth-year forward Chris Nix registered eight points and six rebounds off the bench.
McNeese senior center Antavion Collum notched a game-high 15 points and 11 rebounds, while junior forward Christian Shumate added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Cowboys.
Texas State entered the game as one of the nation’s top offensive-rebounding teams but was held to only nine on the night, allowing only eight second-chance points. Altogether, Texas State was outrebounded 34-30 by the Cowboys.
McNeese built a 23-14 lead late in the first half until a 6-3 Texas State run cut the deficit to 26-20 at halftime. However, that’s as close as the Bobcats would get as the Cowboys extended their lead to 10 in the first three minutes of the second half.
McNeese led by as many as 11 points in the second half en route to its fifth win, marking the best start in program history since the 1961-62 season. Tuesday was also the first time the Cowboys have defeated Texas State since 2011.
Next, Texas State will face Southern Utah University (2-3) for its second and final game of the Louisiana Tech MTE. The Thunderbirds were defeated 67-53 Tuesday afternoon by tournament host Louisiana Tech.
Tip-off between Texas State and Southern Utah is scheduled for 12 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22, at the Thomas Assembly Center in Ruston, Louisiana. The game will be available to stream on the Varsity Network.
