Third Time is Not the Charm as Bobcats Lose in Triple Overtime

The Men’s basketball team probably played their best game of the season against the TCU Horned Frogs, but came up just short losing 108-99 in 3 overtimes. The game was the second in a two-game Consolation Bracket in the NIT Tournament this week that tipped-off at 8 P.M. and nearly ran until 11 at night in Fort Worth. Neither team gave up as clutch threes and free throws were knocked down late in the game. The clutch free throws reference was really meant for the Horned Frogs, as they continually knocked them down in the second and third overtime to get them the win, but we will get to that in a minute.

Before it came to that, the Bobcats held a 9-point lead with under 2 minutes left in the second half but could not hang on. Coming out of a timeout, TCU hit back-to-back three point shots to bring them within 3 with just a minute remaining. Sophomore guard John Bowman, who played well and finished with 19 points and 5 assists, started off trading free throws with the horned frogs squad but he missed a couple down the stretch, which allowed the opposition to tie the game and take it into overtime.

Fast-Forward…

Pending a 6-0 run by the Frogs at the end of overtime #1, senior guard John Rybak stepped it up in a huge way by knocking down his sixth and seventh three-point shots of the night. This took the ’cats into overtime #2 with all of the momentum. Rybak put the team on his back offensively in the waning moments of this overtime as his seventh three pointer came with just 4 seconds left on the clock.

In the 2nd OT, Texas State had to play on without senior center Emmanuel Bidias A' Moute as he fouled out. With 1:14 remaining the ‘Cats forced a big turnover and took control of the basketball with the game knotted at 93, and guess who stepped up once again? John Rybak drilled another three-pointer giving him 28 points on the night, and more importantly, pushing his team out front to a three-point lead. However, with :15 remaining, TCU hit another clutch three and took the game to a third and final overtime.

In this final period junior transfer J.B. Conley, who finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, scored the Bobcats’ first four points and Texas State looked good. TCU was nursing a two-point lead with under two minutes remaining when Texas State had a few shots rattle in-and-out and they could not put the ball in the hoop. The Horned Frogs made all but one of their free throws that iced the game and sent the Bobcats to the locker room with a bitter taste in their mouths.

Fatigue seemed to set in at the end of the third overtime period for the ‘cats and for good reason. Coach Davalos was forced to shorten up his bench as junior center Jonathan Sloan and forward Tony Bishop were unable to play due to injury. Sloan has been out for a few games now and this was Bishop’s first game out as he suffered an ankle sprain in the Bobcats’ previous game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Texas State falls to 1-5 on the season as they missed a total of 10 free throws on the night, which might have been the deciding factor. Some good news was that the Bobcats’ turnover numbers were way down in this match up against TCU (16 total), which has been a problem for the team all season.

John Rybak finished with 30 points and Cameron Johnson finished with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Texas State will be back in action on December 1 in San Marcos against Texas A&M - International. You can listen to the game on 89.9 FM KTSW-San Marcos or online at ktsw.net.

-Robert Fisher, KTSW Sports Staff Writer