The Texas State Bobcats (5-6, 2-0) decked the halls early by outpunching the ULM Warhawks (5-6, 0-2) 79-69 in a back-and-forth, high noon affair Saturday at Strahan Arena.

Sophomore forward Kyra Anderson led Texas State in points and rebounds, while Texas State’s Defense tightened up down the stretch to wrestle a conference win just before the holidays.

This marks the fourth win in the last five games for the Bobcats, while also becoming the fourth straight win for Texas State on their home court.

Anderson (24 Pts, 10 Rebs, 12-16 FGs) showed out for the Bobcats with her third double-double of the season and went a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line.

Anderson’s teammate, sophomore guard Saniya Burks, contributed offensively as well with 22 points while also going perfect from the line (5-5 FTs).

The Bobcats’ defense gutted out a gem, with the team combining for 27 boards, nine steals, and six blocks.

The Bobcats opened the game strong with two straight three-point strikes by Burks and led by as many as nine in the first quarter. Burks flexed her defensive muscles early as well, poking the ball away from the Warhawks at mid-court and feeding a pass to redshirt sophomore guard Mia Galbraith for an easy layup.

ULM’s offense sputtered out of the gate, allowing Texas State to take advantage, going 54% from the floor. The Warhawks kept it close, however, tying the game at 18 by the end of the first quarter.

ULM brought the heat in the second quarter and it showed. The Warhawks exploded with a 19-7 run, with 11 of those points scored by redshirt junior guard Jazmine Jackson. Working both the free throw line as well as the three-point line, ULM charged ahead and led by as much as 14 at one point. ULM carried the momentum going into halftime, leading 41-31.

The third and fourth quarters were all Texas State, as turnovers and missed shots began to whittle away at ULM’s offense.

Anderson began to heat up, accumulating most of her 24 points in the paint. In the game, Texas State dominated ULM off the fastbreak, also turning many of ULM’s missed shots and turnovers into points.

Free Throws by Burks and junior forward Kyla McBride pushed the Bobcats ahead late into the third quarter and a dagger of a three-pointer by Burks sealed a lead the Bobcats never relinquished.

Texas State heads into its Christmas break good spot, despite a sour start to its season. They next see action at 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 29, against the Huston-Tillotson Rams at Strahan Arena.

The game will be available to stream via ESPN+.