Freshman forward Julia Coleman scored a career-high 18 points and snagged eight rebounds in 22 minutes to lead Texas State women’s basketball (14-18, 4-14 Sun Belt Conference) in its heartbreaking 72-70 loss to Georgia Southern University (15-17, 4-14 Sun Belt) in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Tuesday morning at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida.
The Bobcats found themselves in a hole early, trailing the Eagles by as much as 12 points in the first quarter. Through six minutes, senior forward Morgan Hill had the only points for Texas State.
A trio of Bobcats off the bench in Coleman, senior forward Nicole Leff and junior guard Crystal Smith helped cut Georgia Southern’s lead to seven at the end of the first quarter, making the score 24-17.
The Eagles continued to impose their will on Texas State in the second quarter, extending their lead at halftime to 40-29.
Going up by 16 points in the third quarter and ending it with a 60-49 lead, Georgia Southern looked to deliver the knockout blow and put Texas State away for good.
Yet the Bobcats had no intentions of falling away and began to rally. A three-pointer from graduate student guard Ja’Niah Henson cut their deficit to five points, making it a 68-63 ballgame with four minutes remaining in regulation.
The Bobcats tied the game at 70-70 with 22 seconds left in the contest after trailing by as many as 16 points.
With a game-high 24 points, Georgia Southern senior guard Terren Ward converted a go-ahead layup with just four seconds on the clock.
The Bobcats committed a turnover on the inbounds pass to secure the win for the Eagles and bring their season to an end.
