Sophomore guard Coleton Benson scored 17 points as Texas State men’s basketball (12-17, 5-11 Sun Belt Conference) defeated Georgia State University (13-15, 7-9 Sun Belt Conference) 68-59 Saturday at the Georgia State Convocation Center in Atlanta.
“Another hard-fought game that required the best version of ourselves at times,” Texas State Head Coach Terrence Johnson said. “Credit goes to our guys for fighting and competing at the level in which we needed to in order to pull off the victory.”
Benson shot four-for-eight from beyond the arc and went three-for-four from the free throw line en route to the Bobcats’ win.
Sophomore forward Davion Sykes finished with 14 points, adding 10 rebounds and three steals, while sophomore guard Jordan Mason added 15 points.
Junior guard Dwon Odom led the charge for the Panthers with 16 points, five rebounds and five assists.
There were 13 lead changes and six ties in the first half alone. Texas State scored with 37 seconds left to take a 31-30 lead to end the half, and the Bobcats never trailed again.
Georgia State limited Texas State to 37.9% shooting from the field, but the Bobcats collected 10 offensive rebounds, leading to 14 second-chance points.
The ultimate downfall for the Panthers was turnovers. They committed a season-high 17 turnovers but are averaging fewer than 10 per game this season.
Next, Texas State will face the University of Louisiana-Monroe (11-16, 6-10 Sun Belt Conference) for the second time this season. The Bobcats won the first contest 67-54.
“This was a complete team effort and hopefully it gives us confidence moving forward,” Johnson said.
Tip-off between Texas State and Louisiana-Monroe is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, at Strahan Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
