Senior guard Mark Drone led the way with a season-high 23 points as the Texas State Bobcats (6-5) traveled to H-Town on Wednesday night and fell just short of a comeback against the Rice Owls (4-6), 77-72, at Tudor Fieldhouse in Houston.

Freshman guard DJ Hall showed up with a double-double, his second straight and fourth of the season, scoring 12 points and 12 rebounds along with three assists, one block and a steal.

Coming off the bench was the fifth-year senior guard Kyndall Davis, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, as well as five rebounds and two steals. Junior guard Dimp Pernell contributed 10 points, shooting 4-for-7 for the night.

The game was close throughout, as neither team led by more than four points within the first 15 minutes. However, the Owls went on an 11-3 run with a buzzer-beater three-pointer just before halftime, heading into the break up 40-28.

The Bobcats came out of halftime playing all-around basketball, limiting the Owls to only two made buckets in the first nine minutes of the second half. On the offensive end, Texas State outscored Rice 23-5 to take the lead.

The tides changed again back in favor of the Owls, who went on a 14-4 scoring run of their own to take back the lead.

With just under 1:40 on the clock, Drone converted a three-point play and a minute later pulled off another and-1 to cut the deficit to 70-68. Drone sank four free throws, making the game 73-72; however, after Rice’s Jalen Smith hit two free throws, Drone had to try to save the day again.

From the top of the arc, Drone shot a last-second three-pointer, which just slightly missed the mark, sealing the Final Score 77-72 and a victory for the Rice Owls.

Next up for the Bobcats, they will return to San Marcos for the first of three consecutive home games that begin next at 7:30 p.m. next Wednesday, Dec. 10, against the Southern Jaguars. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.