Texas State falls to ULM in Sun Belt opener

Texas State could not overcome 12 turnovers in the Bobcats’ 57-53 loss to Louisiana Monroe Thursday night.

It was a tough defeat for Head Men’s Basketball Coach Terrence Johnson as he gave credit to the ULM defense for disrupting the Bobcats’ offense.

“There are no surprises in league play,” Johnson said. “You have to credit ULM as they came in and fought until the end. We had opportunities but could not capitalize on them.”

Despite holding the Warhawks to a low-shooting percentage, the Bobcats themselves also struggled shooting, going just 30.4% from the floor and 21.1% from the 3-point line.

“If you are playing at home and hold a team to 29% shooting from the field and 28% on 3s, you like your chances,” Johnson said “We struggled today getting a rhythm and flow ... we need to be better at every facet of the game. From completing plays, to defending, and rebounding in crucial moments. We have a long way to go and this is a team that is trying to find its identity.”

Johnson identified two areas of what ULM did to disrupt  the offensive plays for the Bobcats.

One of the issues was causing trouble in the passing lanes between the posts and guards, while ULM also focused on the ball screens Texas State was setting.

“They threw some looks at our post players that caused them to think certain guys were open,” Johnson said. “The other thing was that they showed some timid hedges that slowed Mason [Harrell] and Drue [Drinnon] down coming off the ball screens that were not nearly as aggressive as we needed them to be. Those were the two things that got us out of our rhythm.”

Texas State returned to play Saturday against Troy. The game began before press time.