Junior forward Jaylin Foster led Texas State women’s basketball (13-17, 3-14 Sun Belt Conference) with 14 points in its tough 67-59 loss to the University of Southern Mississippi (17-11, 10-7 Sun Belt Conference) Wednesday night at Strahan Arena.
The loss extends Texas State’s losing streak to five straight games, tying the longest of the entire season.
“It was a tough game; we’re playing [team’s] close, then it slips away,” Texas State Head Coach Zenarae Antoine said. “So, what it comes down to is finding that next gear and being able to truly understand, when folks are battling, we have to find ways so that they don’t go on runs to push ahead in those close contests.
Foster shot 4-for-7 from the field and 5-for-6 from the free throw line to go along with two steals and a block in 24 minutes.
Freshman forward Julia Coleman scored 13 points on 5-for-8 from the field to go along with three steals, while graduate student guard Timia Jefferson added nine points off the bench, shooting 3-for-4 from the field and grabbing three rebounds.
It was a close game throughout, with both teams going on exchanging scoring runs and not creating much of a lead. The Bobcats won the turnover battle forcing the Golden Eagles to commit 24 turnovers. The Bobcats capitalized off the turnovers outscoring Southern Miss 33-22 in points off turnovers on the night.
The Bobcats held a five-point going into the fourth quarter, but this is where the game suddenly shifted as the team went scoreless for nearly five minutes. The cold streak allowed Southern Miss to go on a 23-10 run to seal the win.
Southern Miss senior guard Dominique Davis caught fire late scoring 15 of her 22 points in the fourth quarter. The Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year showed why she earned that title as she lifted her team to the victory.
“At what point are we going to switch [gears] and play to a better level?” Antoine said. “Because it’s not a lack of want to; it’s a lack of being able to slow down the game and play with a level of poise.”
With the regular season almost over, the team now looks to win its last game of the season against the University of Louisiana-Monroe (18-11, 10-7 Sun Belt Conference) to establish some positive momentum for the upcoming Sun Belt Conference tournament, while also honoring the seniors playing in their final regular season game.
“We have one more game left here at home, and we’re going to honor all our graduates,” Antoine said. “The plan is still to do our best to get ready and make a run in the [Sun Belt] tournament.”
Tip-off between Texas State and ULM is scheduled for 5 p.m. Friday, March. 1, at Strahan Arena. The game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
