Bobcats’ losing streak grows to five despite strong efforts

Texas State has slipped the past couple of games, though it's not for want of trying.

The Bobcats dropped each of their two road games last week, falling 77-56 on Thursday to Appalachian State and 77-70 on Saturday to Coastal Carolina, extending their losing streak to five games. But head coach Zenarae Antoine didn’t find fault in the team’s effort in either game.

"I think the team is pressing right now," Antoine said after the App State game. "We are pressing too hard to make things happen. We need to slow down and execute on the offensive end of the floor. I think our effort is there, I just think we are putting too much pressure on ourselves."

The maroon and gold struggled on offense against the Mountaineers. After scoring 20 points in the first quarter, Texas State only earned 18 in the next two quarters combined. The Bobcats shot just 35.5 percent from the field.

The team picked things up on offense against Coastal Carolina, but struggled keeping the Sun Belt’s No. 2 rebounding team off the boards. Despite a 20-point outing from senior guard Toshua Leavitt, Texas State couldn’t pull out the win after being outrebounded 47-27.

"I cannot fault the effort from this team," Antoine said Saturday. "They fought hard all afternoon. We must do a better job of finishing possessions with a rebound. We gave up too many offensive rebounds and second chance points."

The two losses drop the Bobcats to seventh place in the conference. Texas State (9-14, 4-7 Sun Belt) will hope its effort leads to more victories when they host Arkansas State (9-13, 4-7) on Thursday at 7 p.m. inside Strahan Arena. The Bobcats defeated the Red Wolves in Jonesboro, Ark., 85-62, in the teams’ first meeting.