TXST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
The Bobcats 18-point comeback fell short against Georgia Southern, losing 61-57.
Texas State and Head Coach Zenarae Antoine fall to 10-12 overall and 6-6 in conference play while Georgia Southern improves to 17-5 overall and 10-2 in conference play.
“It’s something that we’ve gotten accustomed to is getting ourselves in a hole and fighting back,” Antoine said. “The last time out before this at Georgia State, we found our way back in the game. We did that, as well, against ODU. I know there was a lot of confidence in the team that way, and I kept hearing tonight, I say, Chip away, Chip away, Chip away. So I felt really good to be honest with you.
“Down the stretch, some of these fouls, put [Georgia Southern on] the free throw lines and the turnovers, really bit us in the butt, and it’s very difficult to win a basketball game when you have 23 turnovers, and your opponent shoots 29 free throws. … I don’t like playing from behind, but I do know if we get ourselves in that situation, the team has got a lot of confidence in each other, and so I appreciate that.”
The Bobcats trailed 35-17 midway through the second period, their largest deficit of the game, before Texas State made their comeback. Texas State went on an 8-0 run to cut into the deficit, capped off by a layup from senior Deja Jones, before Georgia Southern entered halftime up 39-25.
In the third quarter, the Bobcats outscored the Eagles 18-9, cutting the deficit down to five as Texas State trailed 4843.
The Eagles pushed their lead to 58-50 with less than four minutes in the game before the Bobcats went on a 7-0 run highlighted by a threepointer from Jones and a three-point play from sophomore K.P. Parr made it a 58-57 game with just 22 seconds left in the game.
But the Eagles hit three key free throws to extend the lead in the final seconds to escape with the win 61-57. Sophomore Saniya Burks led the team in scoring with 17 points followed by sophomore Kyra Anderson with 14 points. Jones finished the game with 10 and 10 rebounds to complete the double-double.
The Bobcats are back on the road this Saturday for the SBC-MAC challenge as Texas State takes on Northern Illinois. The Huskies enter the game with a 4-18 overall record and currently sit in 12th place in the MAC standings.
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Northern Illinois.
