Four players finished in double figures as Texas State men’s basketball defeated Eastern Michigan 64-44 in the season opener Monday night at Strahan Arena.
“We played pretty hard tonight. I thought [our team] did a really good job of establishing themselves on the defensive end,” Texas State Head Coach Terrance Johnson said. “We tried to share the ball for sure, and for the most part, we did the things we have been working on.”
Johnson gave credit to Eastern Michigan but ultimately gave his team their roses.
“That is a team that is [going to] be pretty good down the stretch. They traveled all the way across the country, and it definitely takes a toll on them,” Johnson said. “I have to give my guys all the credit in the world, though; they set the tone on the defensive end.”
The Bobcat defense held the Eagles to a 17-58 shooting performance and forced Eastern Michigan to shoot 5-24 on three-point attempts.
Sophomore guard Kaden Gumbs led the Bobcats in scoring against Eastern Michigan with 15 points. Gumbs also recorded four assists, two rebounds and a steal.
“Early on, we wanted to focus on defending. We needed to get back to trying to defend better,” Johnson said. “It did not look like it tonight at times, but we were trying to play a little bit faster, trying to play out of opportunity and get more buckets at the rim.”
Senior guard Dylan Dawson put up a stat line of 10 points, six rebounds and two steals. Dawson made all five of his free-throw attempts.
In his first game as a Bobcat, redshirt senior forward Tylan Pope recorded 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. Pope shot 50% from the field, going 4-8, including a 2-2 shooting performance from behind the arc.
Graduate student forward Tyrel Morgan registered 11 points, two assists, two rebounds, one block and one steal. Morgan made five out of 11 shots from the field, also making one of two three-point attempts.
Texas State shot 46.7% from three and made 81% of its free-throw attempts. Besides a 2-2 tie at the start of the ball game, the Bobcats maintained a grip on their lead throughout this matchup.
The Bobcats will seek a 2-0 start as they welcome their next opponent, McMurry University.
Tip-off between Texas State and McMurry is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8, at Strahan Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
