TXST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Bobcats snapped their two-game losing streak, defeating the App State Mountaineers 6349 last Wednesday.
Texas State improves to 8-10 overall and 4-4 in conference play while App State falls to 8-10 overall and 1-7 in conference play. “Solid win for our program,” Head Coach Zenarae Antoine said. “I thought in the fourth [quarter], there were a lot of things that I didn’t like as far as us playing loose. But the thing that we did really well was understanding coming out of half that Alaura [Sharp] is a great coach. She’s going to make some adjustments, and she did. They started to get more aggressive with us, so us playing with poise is going to be important.
“I like that we stayed to 14 turnovers, knowing that they started playing a little bit more erratically defensively. They’re a great defensive team, and they were looking for ways to stop us. There are times that they really were disruptive, but again, we played with the level of a poise to win the basketball game, and I’m thankful for that.”
The win was highlighted by the performance of sophomore forward Kyra Anderson. Anderson finished the game with a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.
Playing through two physical games down low, being able to stay composed helped Anderson achieve success in the paint.
“Just staying poised,” Anderson said. “Being more aggressive than they are.”
It was also a breakout game for Mia Galbraith who scored 11 points for the Bobcats in her first season since coming back from a severe knee injury.
After holding Troy to the fewest points scored in conference play, the Bobcats held App State to under 50 points, marking just the second time the Mountaineers have scored less than 50 in a game. In the first half, the Bobcats held App State to just 16 points, forcing 19 turnovers, while Texas State scored 18 points.
“This team has a level of pride, and they truly understand that from our defense, our offense is generated,” Antoine said. “We’re not some prolific scoring team who’s going to put up 80 points per game, but we’re going to try our best to be efficient with those opportunities. There is something to be said for holding players and teams, right to under their average.
“It means there’s a level of discomfort for them and then there’s a level of anxiety for them where they’re starting to take bad shots or they’re trying to do things that are out of character. Our team thrives on that because then we’re going to win those 50-50 balls, we’re going to get those rebounds and we are pushing the tempo.”
The Bobcats return home Saturday for a conference showdown against the Old Dominion Monarchs. The Monarchs enter the game with a 4-4 conference record and a 12-8 overall record coming off an 84-82 overtime win against the Marshall Thundering Herd.
Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. Saturday at Strahan Arena.
Sophomore Mia Galbraith knocks down the jumper in the Bobcats conference home game against App State. Galbraith finished the game with 11 points. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
