TXST WOMEN’S BASKETBALL
Jones surpasses 1,000 career points
In the final home game of the regular season, Texas State fell to South Alabama 64-59 despite the Bobcats coming back from a 17-point deficit to make it a one-possession game late in the fourth.
Texas State falls to 1116 overall and 7-9 in conference play while South Alabama improved to 1017 overall and 3-13 in conference play as the Bobcats continued to be plagued by turnovers with 20 against the Jaguars.
“Hats off to South Alabama for getting a lead and keeping the lead all the way to the end,” Head Coach Zenarae Antoine said. “We had plenty of opportunities to change the tides. We came up short and that part is disappointing. We are still working on and I will continue to work on the turnovers that we have because they are really hurting us. You go from one game where there were a lot of forced turnovers to another game where they weren’t necessarily forced.
“Some of these are selfinflicted. That’s the part, the sense of calm, the sense of understanding, the sense of trust that we are still working on. You see in pockets as a fan, and the folks that cover us, and even as a team see that we have the capability of doing it. We just need to string it together.”
The past two games, the Bobcats have had a combined 57 turnovers which have plagued the team all year.
For senior Deja Jones, the key to limiting the high turnover rate is remembering to complete the simple tasks while avoiding the defense to allow the Bobcat offense to get sped up.
“I’ll say it is the little things,” senior Deja Jones said. “Being poised underneath the pressure, meeting our passes, moving the ball, not dribbling between two people and overpassing. Just the little things that we know to do, but I think we just get sped up.”
The Bobcats entered the fourth period down 51-34 before starting their comeback. Texas State went on an 8-2 run start the period, cutting the deficit down to 5342.
The Jaguars pushed their lead to 59-46 with less than four minutes left in the game before the Bobcats answered with a 13-3 run to make it a one possession game at 62-59 with less than 30 seconds.
But South Alabama made a last-second basket with seven seconds left to seal the win.
Jones finished the game with a team-high 15 points as the senior from East Central High School surpassed 1,000 career points.
Sophomore Kyra Anderson was second in scoring with 14 along with eight rebounds followed by sophomore Saniya Burks with 10 points.
Despite the loss and the Bobcats’ turnovers, Antoine continues to praise the Bobcats’ ability to come back and crawl out of massive deficits win or lose.
“So as I say sleepless nights over the turnovers and we’re working hard as a staff on that, I have so much energy, excitement and I have a positive feeling to go to work for them because they fight and they grind,” Antoine said. “They’ll grind it out, but we don’t ever quit so there’s something to be said for that when you’re a competitor that I absolutely love.
“We found ourselves on both sides, right? Where we win close games or we’ve lost close ones as well. It’s because we battle so it’s just trying again. Closing that gap has just been so difficult. It’s like Moses parting the seas between the turnovers and the fight.”
The Bobcats return to play Wednesday on the road against Louisiana Monroe. ULM enters the game with a 6-10 conference record and a 13-14 overall record.
Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in Monroe.
The Bobcats enter the final week of conference play tied for seventh place with the final two games on the road. Daily Record photo by Gerald Castillo
