Sophomore guard Jordan Mason scored 25 points for Texas State men’s basketball (17-17, 7-11 Sun Belt Conference) as it defeated Troy University (20-12, 13-5 Sun Belt Conference) 74-68 Saturday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center in the quarterfinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
Mason shot 9-for-11 from the field and 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to go along with five rebounds in 35 minutes. Mason hit a buzzer-beating three-point shot to go into halftime and scored 14 points in the second half.
Sophomore forward Davion Sykes was the Bobcats’ second-leading scorer, with 13 points, four assists and a pair of steals.
After an overtime victory against Troy in their final game of the regular season just eight days ago, Texas State came back with the same energy and won a hard-fought game to move on to the semifinals of the Sun Belt Conference Championship Tournament.
This game was close all the way through, but Texas State remained hot, and the Trojans only led once in the second half. Both teams shot the ball evenly, Texas State shooting 55.6% from the field and Troy shooting 47% from the field.
The Bobcats dominated in the paint, scoring 34 points compared to Troy’s 22 in a game in which it seemed Troy could not stop Texas State when they were close to the rim.
Both teams also repeatedly turned the ball over, combining for 39 total turnovers. The Trojans had 27 points off turnovers compared to Texas State’s 19, but the Bobcats overcame those mistakes and completed the upset.
Texas State has not shot the three ball well over the regular season, but Friday, they shot an efficient 50% to help secure the win.
Junior guard Tayton Conerway led the Trojans with 16 points off the bench to go along with five assists and four rebounds.
Texas State will take on the winner of 10th seed Marshall vs second seed James Madison in the semifinal round of the Sun Belt Conference Tournament.
This game will tip off at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 10, at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Florida. This game will be available to stream on ESPN+.
