Junior forward Tylik Weeks scored 32 points as the Texas State Bobcats (19-13) fell short to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (18-15) 81-77 in what will be the last ever game played in the Sun Belt Conference for men’s basketball Friday evening at the Pensacola Bay Center in Pensacola, Fla.
Weeks had his second straight game of a 30-point performance after reaching that mark in yesterday night’s game against James Madision.
Freshman forward DJ Hall checked his last freshman game off with a 20-point double double, finishing with 25 points and 11 rebounds.
Senior guard Mark Drone followed up with Hall, scoring 19 points in what was his last collegiate game. Drone shot 6-17 from the field, 7-8 from the free throw line. However, the guard did contribute to the Bobcats 12 turnovers with four and a few missed layups towards the end of the game.
Three Golden Eagles had 10 points to assist with Weeks high scoring game. Senior forward Djahi Binet and senior guard Dylan Brumfield scored those 10 points, each of which Texas State saw earlier in the season.
But a player they hadn’t seen during the season was junior guard Isaac Taveras, who compiled three steals and a block to his 10 points. Taveras averaged 15 points this year but was hurt for a good chunk of the season with a wrist injury. His impact helped Southern Miss even prevail over the Bobcats.
Texas State started the game off slowly, scoring eight points through the first five minutes but eventually picked the game up. The back-and-forth first half saw the Bobcats trailing 37-33 going into halftime.
The Bobcats finished shooting 49% from the field and scored 44 points in the second half, however the defense had no answers for Weeks and the Golden Eagles.
Southern Miss hit the bonus with around nine minutes and from there was getting to the free throw line, taking advantage almost every chance they could. They finished with 28 free throws from 37 attempts; the Bobcats only had 17 out of 20.
Texas State had its moments in the game that looked like they were gaining momentum, but every time they scored, Southern Miss came down the court and answered back with their own counterpunches. The Golden Eagles finished with 44 points, making the first half the pivotal part of the game.
The Bobcats established playing with aggression early and that looked to be the method all game long, as the aggressive playstyle would’ve leaped this team far in this tournament. Nonetheless with aggression comes fouls, and Texas State couldn’t balance. The team finished with 25 total fouls and Hall, Drone and freshman center Robert Fields all played with four fouls with three and a half minutes left in the game.
Southern Miss came into tonight’s fourth round matchup as a dark-house contender, knocking off JMU and now the Bobcats, as they look to continue their run against App. State Saturday evening in the Quarterfinals.
Texas State will see the end of its basketball season in the SBC with a lot to be proud about. A historic season, that came up just short. The Bobcats will hope to carry this loss as a lesson with the full focus moving to preparing for Pac-12 basketball next season.
