Coming off two ugly road losses, the Texas State Bobcats (12-11, 5-6) delivered a performance for the ages Wednesday evening in Strahan Arena, in the form of a 72-68 heart-stopper against the Marshall Thundering Herd (13-8, 5-4), notching career win number 100 at Texas State for head coach Terrance Johnson.
In front of a raucous crowd fresh off winter break, the men’s basketball team knotted a momentous win. With a stifling defense backed by an improving offense, the Bobcats held Marshall to their third-lowest point total of the regular season.
“We just play differently [in Strahan Arena],” Johnson said post-game. “We’re a little bit grittier, a little bit tougher. But I’m not worried about [Marshall’s] average, I’m worried about us. This is who we are, it’s about us.”
The Bobcats came into this game needing a statement win after a pair of road losses to Coastal Carolina and James Madison. The game started with a blistering assault by the defense, which attacked the ball from the jump. Marshall struggled to find rhythm and Texas State controlled the tempo for most of the first half. All in all, the Bobcats accumulated 41 rebounds, 11 of which were offensive boards.
“In the scout film, it showed that sometimes [Marshall] doesn’t box out all the way,” Fifth-year Guard Kyndall Davis said, “So we knew that attacking the glass could be key for us and getting the victory, even though they were bigger than us.”
Texas State went on to a commanding lead at halftime, 39-29. They padded this lead early in the second half, pushing the lead out to as many as 14 points.
The Bobcats, going into this game, had the second-worst three-point average (4.6 PPG) in the country. However, they made distance shots when they mattered against Marshall.
In the waning minutes of the second half, Marshall let their big centers chip away at Texas State’s lead and build momentum, tying and then reclaiming the lead from the Bobcats. But struggles at the free-throw line and off turnovers began to cost the Thundering Herd dearly and kept the Bobcats in the game.
While both Drone and Davis combined for 32 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists, junior guard Kaden Gumbs was the hero of the evening.
After two crucial free throws from freshman center Robert Fields with two minutes to go, the Bobcats spread Marshall out thin. While charging in the paint, Drone delivered the ball into Gumbs’ hands, who let it fly through a hushed arena and sink through the hoop for State’s seventh and final three-pointer of the game with 21 seconds on the clock.
As Gumbs calmly regrouped his team, the crowd broke into a fever pitch.
“It wasn’t any doubt. It wasn’t a drawn-up play,” Johnson said when asked about the scheme behind that final look. “[Drone] impressively made the right read [and] pitched it out to Kaden, who never hesitated.”
When asked about the momentum the crowd generated for tonight’s great win, Davis simply smiled and said, “If they keep showing up, we’re going to show up.”
Texas State hits the court again at Strahan Arena on Saturday, Jan. 31, at 1 p.m. to take on the Old Dominion Monarchs. The match can be streamed via ESPN+.
