Bobcat basketball fell Feb. 2 to the University of Texas at Arlington Mavericks in double overtime. In front of a record crowd at Strahan arena, the Mavericks were able to pull away with a final score of 84-77.
With a crowd of 6,581, Strahan was electric. UTA was dealt with the hostile away-game environment in part thanks to Brian Warren’s 30 points, which included a pair of clutch shots to force the first and second overtime.
Head coach Danny Kaspar said the game was a must-win game, especially with the landmark attendance.
“Look at the excitement that this team has generated,” Kaspar said. “When you get people like that to your game, you need to win for them.”
Usual game leaders Nijal Pearson and Alex Peacock were held in check by the Mavericks for the majority of the game. Pearson finished the game with 15 points and seven rebounds, well below his season average. Peacock scored 12 points and nine rebounds, clutching five of his points during the first overtime. Pearson said the team will go into next week’s games with heads held high.
“We got to be better on offense, we lost the game. Don’t think we are throwing in the towel and our hearts (are) broken we have nine games,” Pearson said. “There is a lot of games to be played. We are going to fight and find a way back.”
The Bobcat offense looked out of sync with shots at 39 percent from the field, but the biggest issue of the night was free-throw shooting. Perhaps the poorest effort was seen from the free throw line as the team shot 45 percent from the charity stripe while UTA shot 79 percent from the free-throw line.
The game included an eventful10 different lead changes. With 36 seconds remaining, Tre Nottingham hit a clutch jumper to take the lead 60-58. Brian Warren then answered with his own jumper to put the game into overtime.
In overtime, Alex Peacock hit a big 3-pointer and Texas State took an early four-point lead, but Warren answered again with four points, including the game-tying jumper to send it all into double overtime.
With the loss, Texas State is now one game down from first place in the Sun Belt Conference, standing at 6-3 and 17-5 overall. The team trails behind only Georgia State
The Bobcats return next week with back-to-back home games starting Thursday against Appalachian State for Military Appreciation Night and Saturday against Coastal Carolina for Coach Danny Kaspar Jacket Night and mustache sticker give away.