TXST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Despite a rowdy crowd filled with elementary school kids from San Marcos CISD, Hays CISD and Lockhart that would put most college student sections to shame, the Bobcats were unable to come away with the win, falling to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.
Texas State drops to 7-9 for the season and 3-3 in conference play while Southern Miss improves to 11-6 for the season and 4-2 in conference play.
“Taking care of the basketball and rebounding, right? That is what the great Pat Summit said.” Head Coach Zenarae Antoine said. “She’s not wrong about that. Offense sells tickets. Defense wins games and rebounding wins championships. That is exactly where we’re at right now. Because think about that first half. They did not shoot the ball well, but they crushed us on the glass. So that’s something we talked about. We have to rebound better and that’s a big piece of what I see for us to be able to sustain and compete.”
Southern Miss outscored Texas State 21-12 in the first quarter as the Bobcats were unable to regain the lead throughout the rest of the game. The Golden Eagles outrebounded the Bobcats 45-36, leading to 25 second- chance points for Southern Miss en-route to the win.
For Antoine, the key for the Bobcats success moving forward is limiting turnovers and out-rebounding their opponents.
“There’s three things that I can consistently preach, and that is one of our biggest ones, ball security and rebounding,” Antoine said. “We are top three defensively, but man, we got to come down with those rebounds. We have to box out. If our second-leading rebounder in conference play is Deja Jones, there’s an issue. So that’s something that our coaching staff is really pushing us hard to be better at.”
Sophomore forward Kyra Anderson led the team in scoring with 16 points along with five rebounds followed by junior Taleiyah Gibbs with 15 points and six rebounds.
Gibbs has emerged as one of the breakout players on the roster, showcasing her ability to play at any position on court, making her success extremely valuable for the team.
I’m excited about that because she had a phenomenal preseason,” Antoine said. “She’s phenomenal, and I was thinking, this kid can be that X factor for us. So I’m glad she’s turning it on right now in the first quarter of conference play, because we’re going to need it. She’s a great utility player at her size. She can play two, three and four [positions] so that’s really important.
“She also gives us those extra possessions and the more she plays, the better she’s going to get, because she really has elevated us in things that don’t even show up on the stat sheet. She’s the first [person] who’s going to take ownership of anything that goes wrong, even if she’s not necessarily at fault or was involved. But that’s the type of young woman that you need on your squad to get everybody going.”
The Bobcats will look to bounce back against Troy this Saturday. The Trojans enter the game with a 14-3 overall record and a 5-1 conference record, coming off a 86-80 win over Louisiana Monroe last Wednesday.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Strahan Arena.
