Meg Boles

Texas State sophomore forward Davion Sykes (4) hangs on the rim of the basket after a dunk, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, at Strahan Arena.

The Texas State men’s basketball team (10-14, 4-8 Sun Belt Conference) extended its current winning streak to three games by toppling Appalachian State University (19-5, 10-2 Sun Belt Conference) 63-56 Wednesday night at Strahan Arena.

Celebrating their third straight victory, the Bobcats knocked off the top seed in the Sun Belt Conference while attempting to turn their season around after starting with a 1-8 record in conference play.

Texas State Head Coach Terrence Johnson understands his team was in a rough spot to start the season but said they are constantly learning and growing together, enabling the three-game win streak at home.

“This means that we’re beginning to trust, and it means we’re bringing culture to the floor,” Johnson said. “It means that we’re better than our record, but at the same time, we still have a long way to go.”

Sophomore forward Davion Sykes finished with his second double figures performance in the last three games, recording 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Sophomore guard Jordan Mason netted 12 points, a team-high three assists and a career-high two blocks off the bench.

An 11-0 run late in the first half gave Texas State its largest lead of the game. The Mountaineers scored 12 of the final 18 points to close out the half with the score at 29-26 in favor of the Bobcats.

Appalachian State junior guard Terence Harcum scored a team-high 13 points to go along with three steals. Graduate student forward Donovan Gregory added 12 points, while junior guard Myles Tate recorded 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

The Mountaineers scored six straight points to take a one-point lead early in the second half. Texas State responded with a 9-0 run to regain the lead for the remainder of the game.

Senior guard Dylan Dawson swung the game down the stretch in favor of the Bobcats, converting a three-point play with less than 30 seconds remaining to extend the Bobcat lead to four points.

Dawsons’ three-point-play opportunity closed out the Mountaineers to secure Texas State’s third straight victory.

Sykes said a victory like this can garner momentum for the entire team, which looks to remain competitive as the conference schedule continues.

“It’s hard to remain positive when you’re losing, but we’ve slowly been taking steps and encouraging each other,” Sykes said. “Just us keeping this momentum is huge for us because we want to prove to everyone that we can compete.”

Texas State will look to extend its winning streak to four games against its next opponent, Ball State University (12-11,4-7 Mid-American Conference), in the MAC-Sun Belt Conference challenge.

Tip-off between Texas State and Ball State is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10 at Strahan Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.