Senior guard Dylan Dawson scored a team-high 12 points, all coming from behind the three-point line, as Texas State men’s basketball (7-13, 1-7 Sun Belt Conference) was defeated by Troy University (12-8, 6-2 Sun Belt Conference) 78-65 at Trojan Arena Wednesday night.
The loss marks the third consecutive for Texas State.
“Troy is an exceptional team,” Texas State Head Coach Terrence Johnson said. “I thought we came in with a good game plan and executed that plan early on, but our inability to take care of the ball and get quality stops at crucial times allowed them to make a run from which we were unable to recover. We are still trying to put a full 40 minutes together.”
Dawson started the game hot, draining three of his four three-pointers in the first half. Dawson also finished the game with three assists.
Junior forward Brandon Love was the Bobcats’ second leading scorer with nine points, five of which came from the free throw line. Love also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
The first half consisted of 13 lead changes and seven ties. The Trojans finished the first half on an 8-0 run, giving them a 39-34 halftime lead.
Texas State regained the lead at 45-44 in the second half behind the performance of freshman guard Kaden Gumbs. Gumbs scored six of his eight points in the second half.
Troy went on a 21-2 run over eight minutes to put the game out of reach for Texas State.
Freshman forward Myles Rigsby scored a game-high 20 points for Troy, tying his career high. Rigsby also pulled down nine rebounds. Senior guard Christyon Eugene added 17 points on 6-11 shooting from the field. The Bobcats’ bench was outscored by Troy’s 41-22.
Texas State will look to snap its three-game losing streak in its next game against Louisiana-Lafayette (11-8, 4-3 Sun Belt Conference).
Tip-off between Texas State and Louisiana-Lafayette is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27, at the Cajundome in Lafayette, Louisiana. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
