In its second game of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, Texas State men’s basketball won a close contest 83-80 on Friday at HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina. The win ended a three-game losing streak after the Bobcats started the season 2-0 with wins over Eastern Michigan and McMurry.
The Bobcats were led to victory by a monstrous performance from graduate forward Tyrel Morgan, who scored a career-high 27 points along with seven rebounds and three assists.
Morgan not only led the team in scoring but did so efficiently from multiple levels, with nine of his fourteen shots finding the bottom of the net while also connecting on eight of his ten shots from the free throw line.
Standout sophomore guard Kaden Gumbs continued his stellar play to start the season, as the Bobcats’ leading scorer contributed 17 points on 50 percent shooting while delivering a season-high seven assists.
The Tigers kept themselves in the matchup with their three-point shooting, making 12 on the night, six more than the Bobcats. Princeton’s shooting allowed them to jump to an early 11-point lead, but Texas State bounced back to end the half with a two-point deficit, 41-43.
The Bobcats started the second half strong, going on a 19-5 run to grab their largest lead of the night.
Princeton played catch-up the rest of the night, but Texas State’s efficient 55.6 percent shooting from the field denied any chance of a comeback.
The game ended as Gumbs knocked down some late free throws after being intentionally fouled before a last-ditch three-pointer from freshman guard Jack Stanton cut the lead to 83-80 before the clock reached zero.
Despite losing, Princeton junior guard Xaivian Lee led all scorers in the contest with 30 points.
The win marked the Bobcats’ second game in two days, and they will be greeted with a rest day on Saturday before action resumes on Sunday.
The Bobcats will play in the Myrtle Beach Invitational fifth-place game on Sunday against Ohio University (2-4) at the HTC Center in Conway, South Carolina. The game will be available to stream on ESPN2.
