Texas State men’s basketball (8-2) outplayed Lamar University (2-9) 67-47 Wednesday night, picking up its seventh straight win of the season. 
It was a choppy start for both teams. A three-pointer from senior guard Mason Harrell and a layup by senior guard Davion Buster were the only shots made in the game’s opening three minutes. 
Once Lamar built momentum, the Cardinals went on an 8-0 run featuring nice passing and good cuts to the basket. The Cardinals’ 8-3 lead in the first half would be their biggest lead of the night as Texas State began to lock in. 
A tough mid-range jumper for senior guard Caleb Asberry ignited a massive 23-4 run, allowing Texas State to take a 26-12 lead with 3:48 to go before halftime. The run was fueled by a much more engaged defense, and a commitment to capitalizing off second-chance looks.
The Cardinals would answer back with a few buckets of their own, but senior forward Isiah Small would have the last laugh in the first half with an at-the-buzzer three before heading to the break. That trey would give the Bobcats a 31-18 lead at intermission.
The grit and grind of the first showed up pretty well in the box score. The battle of the boards was a close one with Lamar out rebounding Texas State 15-14. However, it was Lamar’s inability to score after getting offensive rebounds that cost the team. Texas State held a 10-2 advantage in second-chance points at the half.
Coming out of the break, senior forward Lincoln Smith connected on one of two freebies to make the score 31-19. From that point on, the Bobcats never looked back.
At 18:38 in the second frame, senior guard Shelby Adams stole the ball and found Small for a fast break layup. On the Bobcats’ next possession, a missed three was tipped by sophomore forward Nate Martin and secured by Small who converted the putback layup.
It was those kinds of hustle plays that powered a 23-11 run after Smith’s free throw. Senior forward Nighael Ceaser followed a defensive rebound on one end with a layup on the other to complete the run and put the score at 54-30.
The Cardinals began to show a little more scoring punch, trading a few makes of their own, but Adams hit on a mid-range bunny to give the ‘Cats a 25-point lead at 64-39 with 3:27 to play. It was the largest lead of the night.
The Bobcats led the game in points off turnovers with 18 to Lamar’s 11, a consistency in Texas State’s seven-game run. Texas State also maintained its advantage on second chance points, finishing the game with 18 to Lamar’s seven.
Adams would be the night’s top scorer with 14 points including two clean makes from distance. Junior forward Tyrel Morgan came off the bench to put up 12 points of his own and added five rebounds. Asberry and Ceaser would each finish with 10 apiece, with Caeser having a perfect shooting night, connecting on all of his field goals and freebies.
Once again, Lamar couldn’t get out its own way. The Cardinals turned the ball over 15 times and shot 36% overall. Texas State didn’t exactly light it up from distance, only making seven out of 25 attempts, but Lamar wasn’t even able to match that, managing one three-point make all game.
Sophomore guard Kasen Harrison led the Cardinals with 11 points, Buster finished second with 10 points, but did it on 23% shooting. While Smith, Lamar’s third leading scorer, nearly notched a double-double with eight points and 11 rebounds.
Next up the Bobcats wrap up their four-game home stretch with a game against Paul Quinn at 4 p.m. on Sunday in Strahan Arena. The game will air on ESPN+.