Junior guard Dimp Pernell scored a team-high 19 points for Texas State men’s basketball (2-2) in its 80-69 victory over UTSA (1-2) on Wednesday night.
Texas State jumped out to an early 25-8 lead with UTSA not being able to get much going in the first 10 minutes of the game.
UTSA kept it competitive, though, and if it wasn’t for Texas State constantly being able to match any runs that the Roadrunners were going on, UTSA might’ve worked its way back into the game, just as the Bobcats let Tulane come back in the second half to win last week.
“We didn’t play the type of second half that we needed [against Tulane], ” Texas State head coach Terrance Johnson said. “So I let them know that, that’s what the season is, it’s about learning, growing, and finding yourself, and you guys found a way to get better and being put in similar situations all week, but different results.”
With 11:32 remaining in the second half, junior guard Brent Moss hit a huge three-pointer for UTSA to cut Texas State’s lead to only six after being up by 15 just a few minutes prior. The Bobcats then finished the game on a 27-22 run, hitting big shots down the stretch, killing any momentum UTSA had gained.
The Bobcats were all over the floor, with four of their starters scoring 11 points.
Pernell came off the bench on fire, shooting 6-12 from the field and 100% from the free-throw line. He also went 3-7 from beyond the arc and added a steal and a block.
“I feel like I just gotta be the spark plug off the bench, ” Pernell said. “If the first five aren’t getting it going, then I think the team depends on me to come out and get them some energy.”
Freshman forward DJ Hall posted the first double-double of his college career with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go along with four assists and a steal. Hall was dominant under the rim as half of his 10 rebounds came on the offensive glass..
Most of Hall’s assists came from passing out of the post, as that’s where he was most effective.
Junior guard Kaden Gumbs filled up the stat sheet for Texas State with 11 points, seven assists, five rebounds, and a steal. Gumbs was the main facilitator for Texas State and looked very comfortable in that role, playing the most minutes out of any Bobcat with 36.
Senior center Makai Willis was very efficient, shooting 5-11 from the field and was very strong getting to the rim and fighting for rebounds, finishing with five, only playing 19 minutes.
Almost notching a double-double like his fellow teammate, freshman center Robert Fields came off the bench and shot 4-7 from the field, finishing the game with nine points, 11 rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal in only 20 minutes. Like Hall, Fields was dominant on the glass, finishing with five offensive rebounds of his 11 total.
For the Roadrunners, senior guard Jamir Simpson was the main reason the game remained close. Simpson finished with a game-high 22 points, shooting 6-14 from the field and 4-8 from three. He also added four rebounds and shot 6-7 from the free-throw line..
Moss finished the game with 12 points off the bench and was a pest defensively with three steals in only 22 minutes.
“I gotta show love to these guys, these young guys stepped up and they did the things that we asked them to do,” Johnson said. “A lot of these guys fought through some level of adversity throughout the course of that game, but they did not let go of the rope.”
The Bobcats are now 2-2 on the season and will look to defend their 2-0 home record against Texas Southern University at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 15, at Strahan Arena.
