Freshmen help Bobcats snap five-game skid, defeat Arkansas State

Da’Nasia Hood has been working on her rebounding from the beginning. It’s the biggest area head coach Zenarae Antoine told the freshman she needed to work on during the recruiting process.

So when Hood described what was working well for her in Texas State’s 68-54 win inside Strahan Arena over Arkansas State on Thursday night, Antoine couldn’t contain her excitement.

“I started crashing the boards,” Hood said. “And then, once I started rebounding, it just, it felt great. Like I just --”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Antoine shouted as she interrupted. “That’s what I love to hear!”

Hood posted 14 points in the victory and snatched a career-high nine rebounds. She was just one of the freshmen the maroon and gold had to rely on in the contest.

Kennedy Taylor didn’t score on Thursday, but played a vital part in the win as orchestrator to the Bobcats’ offense, dishing out a personal-best 10 assists. Freshman center Jaeda Reed also picked up a few career highs with seven points in 14 minutes off the bench.

“Their teammates love this freshmen crew,” Antoine said. “I’ve said that this is one of the most fun freshmen crews that we’ve had. I keep a picture of them on my phone and I talk about them a lot on Twitter because they’re just a great group of young women. So, once they get it going, I think they’re going to be pretty tough because these valuable minutes that they have now, we can use in the (conference) tournament.”

The hosts began the game making just 1-9 from the field, but closed out the first quarter making 6-7. Hood and Reed scored seven of Texas State’s points during the 11-3 run as the Bobcats ended the period up 15-10.

“Slow starts have been an issue for us, and so we knew we couldn’t let it drag on too long,” junior guard Brooke Holle said. “So, we just came together, tight huddles and we said ‘Come on, let’s go, we’ve got to turn it around.”

The Red Wolves tied the game up at 17-17 and stayed within five points of the lead for the rest of the half, but were never able to get back on top.

The solid play from Texas State’s first-year players helped open things up for their teammates. On the first play of the third quarter, Hood stole the ball away from the visitors and Holle sank a mid-range jumper in transition. Hood and Holle combined for 20 points in the period as the hosts extended their lead to 51-36.

“If I’m hitting, then I’m on fire, I’m feeling it,” Hood said. “And, it’s really just credit to my teammates because they’re the ones that get me open. I just pop, spot up, and I hit it. I’ve gotta hit it for us.”

The Bobcats never let the lead dip below double digits in the fourth quarter and hung on to secure the 68-54 victory. Holle paced the team with 21 points, followed by Hood’s 14. The latter also led the team with nine rebounds and two blocks.

The win was the maroon and gold’s first series sweep of the season and snapped a five-game losing streak for the team. Texas State (10-14, 5-7 Sun Belt) hosted Little Rock (15-8, 11-1) inside Strahan Arena on Saturday. The game ended after press time.

Antoine said she’s looking forward to seeing how Hood and the other freshmen continue to develop.

“(Hood) works extra. People don’t know that she works extra,” Antoine said. “I think the exciting thing is this team, we’ve yet to hit a stride and peak. So, that for sure is exciting. The consistency piece of it is going to be important.”