Texas State rebounds for big win over ULM

After a tough loss to Troy last Thursday night, Texas State rebounded against Louisiana Monroe to take a 74-56 win over the Warhawks Saturday afternoon.

Because of how close the games were to each other, there was no time to dwell on the loss for graduate senior guard Ja’Kayla Bowie, who finished the game with 10 points.

“It’s just the quick turnarounds,” Bowie said. “You just have to understand that, and as veterans it makes it easier to understand because in basketball it can fall either way. When we fall hard, we have to be proud of ourselves and keep going.”

After leading the team in scoring with 18 points, graduate senior forward Da’Nasia Hood also didn’t focus on the Troy loss as much.

“It’s one day, one game prep,” Hood said. “You just have to take that L (loss) and use it for our focus and intensity. You bring it to the next game, and we just execute.”

With the Bobcats in a five way tie for second place and only two games behind first place, it was just another example for Head Coach Zenarae Antoine that the Sun Belt is a tough place to play.

“You cannot take one second off or take anything for granted in this conference,” Antoine said. “This team showed a lot of maturity, and a lot of resilience. (The Texas State players) were challenged in this game and by me. At the end, we got to a good place where we could get some other players the opportunity to play, which is really exciting for them, probably more so than me.”

In their first meeting this season, Texas State stormed back from a 10 point deficit in the second quarter to defeat the Warhawks 65-57.

One of the challenges for the Bobcats playing their second game against ULM was the Warhawks’ ability to change up their defensive schemes on the Texas State offense.

However, the adjustments didn’t slow down Texas State as Hood, Bowie and graduate senior guard Kennedy Taylor all scored in double figures with Taylor scoring 15 points.

“They were mixing it up defensively,” Antoine said. “They showed different looks with denying, triangle and zone. With the one day prep, it makes it different, but the nice thing is that we have a veteran team. They understand how to run our stuff, so when you explain to them what we are going to do and what you are going to get, everyone is really good at understanding and visually seeing it… We did a good job of that adjustment because they (ULM) showed a lot of different looks to be honest with you on top of adding a press.”

This game also represented the fourth game that Bowie has scored ten or more points.

One of the keys for Bowie has been attacking on the offense side of the ball.

“Just being more aggressive,” Bowie said. “I’m more confident because I’m getting into the gym a lot. It’s about being aggressive and taking what the defense gives me.”

Antoine has also noticed this seeing where Bowie started out as a younger player.

“I see Ja’Kayla not as a scorer but a player that brings everything every day,” Antoine said. “Whether it is effort and hustle or final words, she is bouncing back quicker than she used to when she was younger. She finds other ways to get herself going whether it’s defensively, getting big steals, or huge deflections. She is more confident, because she is getting into the gym and is seeing and understanding what is going on in the game.”

Texas State is back on the road this week as the Bobcats travel to Hattiesburg for another pivotal showdown against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles.

cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc