Bobcats conclude season in first round of NIT, falling to UNT in OT 67-63

It’s too early to say goodbye for Terrence Johnson.

He’s been coaching senior guard Shelby Adams for the past five years. Senior forward Isiah Small’s been on the Texas State roster for three. But it’s still too soon.

The players have helped the Bobcats reach historic heights. The maroon and gold won 20 games in two of the past three seasons. They won a Sun Belt championship in each of the past two years. On Tuesday, the team made its first-ever appearance in the NIT.

Texas State was matched up with No. 2 seed North Texas in the first round, who earned an automatic bid in the tournament by winning the Conference USA regular season title. It was the Bobcats’ first time playing in a national tournament since 2019. They almost pulled off the upset, too, taking a 56-50 lead with less than a minute remaining in the second half.

But the Mean Green rallied in the closing seconds of regulation to tie the game up, then took a 67-63 victory in overtime to put an end to the maroon and gold’s season.

“Naturally, you're disappointed,” Johnson said. “You know, I wanted this for our seniors. I felt like Shelby Adams and Isiah Small and Darien Jenkins gave their blood, sweat and tears to this program and believed in me even at times when I didn't believe in myself. So naturally, you want those guys’ season to continue. You know, it's too early to say goodbye no matter how long you've had people like Shelby Adams and Isiah Small. But there's only one winner that can come out of this.”

With eight lead changes and a crowd of 3,386 inside the Super Pit in Denton, the game lived up to the hype of “March Madness.” 

Texas State came out of the gates slow, shooting just 3-12 from the field and falling behind 18-9 through the first eight minutes of the game. The team began to find its footing after the media timeout, though, hitting its next three shots to go on a 7-0 run.

Junior forward Tyrel Morgan made a free throw on the Bobcats’ last possession to cut the deficit to 32-28. North Texas missed on a buzzer-beater at the other end. Morgan grabbed the miss and launched the ball with an overhand throw toward the other goal as the buzzer sounded. The ball miraculously fell through the hoop and while the shot didn’t count, it did provide the Bobcats with momentum heading into the second half.

The team began the second half on a 14-3 run, vaulting in front by seven. The Mean Green chipped away at the lead, jumping ahead briefly at 44-43 with 7:23 remaining in the game. But senior forward Nighael Ceaser went on a single-handed 6-0 run and senior guard Caleb Asberry knocked down a trey from the left corner to give the maroon and gold their largest lead of the night at 52-44.

Texas State stayed ahead by multiple scores, as a fastbreak dunk from Ceaser preserved a 56-50 lead with 39 seconds to go. UNT junior guard Tylor Perry responded at the other end with an and-1 3-pointer, making it a one-score game. Perry missed his free throw but Asberry fell out of bounds after getting the rebound. The Mean Green scored a layup on the inbound play, cutting it to 56-55.

North Texas immediately fouled Ceaser, who went 1-2 at the line, and Johnson called timeout with 26 seconds to play. Asberry collected a missed trey from Perry but got tangled up with the Mean Green, who earned a jump ball with the possession arrow pointing toward UNT. The No. 2-seeded team cleared out to allow Perry to go at Asberry one-on-one in isolation. With just three seconds on the clock, Perry stepped back and put up a 3-pointer three feet above the top of the arc. Asberry made slight contact with Perry’s right elbow and was whistled for a foul, sending Perry to the free throw line with a chance to win the game.

Perry missed his first shot but made the next two to knot the score at 57-57. The Bobcats couldn’t make a shot in the final 2.5 seconds of regulation, sending the game into overtime. North Texas outscored Texas State 10-6 in the final five minutes, taking the 67-63 victory and eliminating the maroon and gold.

“We had a really good showing by Bobcat fans, so I'm super thankful for the support,” Johnson said. “And it was exciting, a whole lot of ups and downs of the game. We were down, we came back, we tried to hold on. You know, we thought we were in a good space going down the stretch, missed a couple free throws, they took advantage of some free throws and some open 3s. So those games are exciting. If I was a fan, I would have felt like I got my money's worth tonight.”

Texas State finished the year 21-8 overall. Johnson said the team will now take some time to step away from basketball. The players will get to enjoy what’s left of their spring break, visit their families and recover from a long season. Those with eligibility left will have to decide if they want to return to San Marcos for another year or explore somewhere new.

Johnson and his staff will continue recruiting, looking for prospects who can help replace the production that’ll be lost after longtime starters like Adams and Small are gone, and who can keep the Bobcats’ upward trajectory pointed in the right direction. They’ll look back on this season, too, evaluating what they can do to improve as a team and individually.

But even as time wears on and Texas State begins to take a different shape, Johnson will not forget about the 2021-22 Bobcats and the success they had.

“I think this team is a special team,” Johnson said. “We've heard the term ‘asterisk’ next to our name from last year, you know, by being a COVID year, only playing one side, so on and so forth. But for us to come back and do the things that we did, I think this team is a proven team. I think that we're taking the steps that we need to take to be recognized as one of the best mid-major programs in the country. And I think it's on the backs of these young people in this locker room.”