Johns, Texas State look to continue four-game winning streak against Troy

After a brief slide, Texas State has found its footing.

A five-game losing streak sunk the Bobcats to 9-14 on the season and 4-7 in the Sun Belt, seventh place in the conference. Things didn’t look too bleak, though.

In the final two losses against Appalachian State on Feb. 7 and Coastal Carolina on Feb. 9, the team had three players reach double-digit points, which hadn’t happened in the previous three games. The trend continued as Texas State picked up four straight wins, including a 50-48 victory over then-first-place Little Rock on Feb. 16.

“The team has done a good job of learning and making changes we need to in order to do better,” head coach Zenarae Antoine said. “And that’s truly what you see, is just a team who always understood that we were better than the showing, but that we had to make those adjustments in order to prove to ourselves that we were able to execute on both ends of the floor. So now that it’s happening, we’re finding confidence. And confidence breeds success.”

One of the Bobcats who has found her confidence is junior forward Jazza Johns. The transfer player from Iowa Western Community College struggled to earn minutes early in the season, acclimating to her new teammates and coaches. She suffered a concussion against St. Thomas on Dec. 4, which set her back even further.

But when Antoine needed to extend her playing time on short notice against Little Rock, the junior was ready. Johns pitched in four points and two rebounds in 13 minutes of action in the win. It was the most the forward had played in over a month.

Antoine decided to insert her into the starting lineup during its road trip to Louisiana over the weekend. Johns was ready again.

“Starting the games, you get the feel at the beginning,” Johns said. “That’s a big thing for me. I feel like if I start, then I have a feel for what’s going to happen or what to expect.”

Johns posted a season-high 14 points and six rebounds in a 62-51 win over Louisiana-Monroe last Thursday. She racked up another 12 points and six rebounds in a 71-65 win against Louisiana on Saturday. 

“It was never about ‘I want to start’ (with Johns),” Antoine said. “It was about ‘I need to figure out a way to help the team. I need to figure out a way to get on the floor.’ And so she stayed with that.”

Texas State (13-14, 8-7 Sun Belt) is now in sixth place in the conference and has the chance to move up and extend its win streak when it hosts third-place Troy on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. inside Strahan Arena in the Bobcats’ annual kids’ game.

The Trojans are the highest scoring and rebounding team in the league. Antoine said crashing the defensive boards will be vital to slowing the visitors down. Johns said she’ll be ready.

“We don’t really have a lot of height,” Johns said. “So, boxing out is really crucial. Most times, we struggle with that. But we always find ways and adjustments.”