Bobcats defeat rival UTA for third win

Sophomore Jordan Mason made his season debut and was a spark plug on the offensive end as he scored a career-high 21 points, 19 coming in the second half, of Texas State’s (3-4) 73-66 win over UT Arlington Saturday afternoon at the College Park Center.

“It was a complete team effort today,” Johnson said. “I feel like we brought culture to the floor. We played with great energy, were focused, competed and were a connected group. The credit goes to the players. They understood the sense of urgency coming off a disappointing trip to Ruston, Louisiana. Those guys wanted to do whatever they needed to do for us to be victorious this afternoon.”

For the game, Mason finished 6-of-17 from the field with a made three-pointer and was 8-for-10 at the free throw line. He also had three assists and one steal.

“Jordan Mason is a difference maker for us,” Johnson said. “He plays like a veteran and his ability to control the offense and the pace of the game made the difference tonight. We’re extremely blessed to have him back in uniform, because he is a special player and it was on full display tonight.”

Brandon Love recorded his third double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The junior forward blocked four shots to give him 61 in his career and move him into 10th in program history.

Also reaching double- figures was San Marcos' own Kaden Gumbs with 11 points while dishing out a career-high eight assists. Joshua O’Garro was limited to six points but grabbed eight boards and was credited with four steals.

The Bobcats shot 45.5% (25-55) from the field and converted 20-of-29 (69.0%) attempts from the charity stripe. They only committed eight turnovers, three in the second half, while forcing the Mavericks to turn the ball over 15 times of which seven were the result of a steal.

It was all UTA early as it made the first four shots of the game for a 9-0 advantage. The Bobcats got on the board on a midrange jumper courtesy of Mason at the 16:30 mark.

Down by seven, TXST went on a 22-1 run over a 6:45 span with 11 of the points coming courtesy of Love. Also during the run, Dylan Dawson converted a four-point play after being fouled on a threepoint attempt that tied the contest.

The Mavs would score 11 of the final 13 points over the final 4:59 as the Bobcats held a 3227 lead at halftime. The lone points for Texas State came on free throws from Gumbs.

The Bobcats never relinquished the lead in the second half. In the last two minutes of the game, TXST went 11-for-16 at the free throw line to close out the game.

Next up for the Bobcats is a short trip up I-35 to Austin to face Texas on Thursday. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m. from the Moody Center and will be broadcast on the Longhorn Network.