Bobcats Claw Lamar in Strahan, Jump Cards in SLC Standings

Coming into Saturday afternoon, this game was supposed to be just another Texas State-Lamar close contest. However, the Bobcats had other plans as they won 81-67 and continued to climb up the Southland Conference ladder.

The last time these two teams met, Texas State came out victorious in a double-overtime shootout where both teams scored over 90 points. At halftime this Saturday, the Bobcats held a two-point lead over the Cardinals 25-23. The game did not seem like it would too much of a thriller as neither team could really get it going. Texas State started off the game going 1-10 from the field, and Ryan White went down with an ankle injury at the 14-minute mark. However, the Bobcats’ defense is what really kept them in the game. Coach Doug Davalos had his club switching defenses like fresh underwear. They played everything from a full-court press, a half-court trap, a 1-3-1 zone, 2-3 zone, and oh yeah… even some man defense. The Bobcats kept the Cardinals guessing all night long and it showed on the scoreboard.

The start of the second half was great for Texas State as their star point guard, Ryan White, was back in action, and he had the Bobcats rolling. At the 12-minute mark Texas State was on a 10-0 run and they even stretched their lead to as much as 23. The Bobcats only had 9 turnovers compared to Lamar’s 18. The ‘Cats just looked like a much more mature basketball team. They were not taking bad shots, they were moving the ball well, and their defense was stifling. Texas State finished the game forcing 23 turnovers from Lamar and racked up a total of 12 steals and five blocks.

Texas State’s bench was phenomenal again on Saturday as they finished with 31 total points. At one point, the ‘Cats’ bench was outscoring Lamar’s 17-0, which was huge. The Bobcats also finished the game dominating the paint. They outscored the Cardinals down there as well 38-22. The stamp of the game came when Tony Bishop threw down a thundering slam over the 6’ 11” Coy Custer on the right baseline. All 2,000 fans went crazy and the Bobcats looked like they were just having fun. Texas State went out and handled business, and they might have even got into Lamar’s head. The Cardinal’s head coach, Steve Roccaforte, even cleared the coach’s box on the court and received a rare technical foul at the 9:30 mark, which pretty much sealed the deal.

Saturday’s game saw four different Bobcats in double-digits. John Bowman finished with 10 points, Ryan White had 16, Tony Bishop had 11 points and 4 rebounds, and Cameron Johnson had 19 points and 8 rebounds. Johnson and White combined for 3 points at halftime but they showed up when their team needed them and that is what leaders do. Lamar star forward Justin Nabors finished with 4 points and 4 turnovers in only 18 minutes as he was favoring that lower-back injury.

Texas State moves to 6-5 in Conference and 12-13 overall with the win. They also jumped Lamar in the SLC standings and took sole possession of third place in the relatively strong SLC West Division. It also helped that UT-Arlington fell to 5-5 by virtue of a loss to struggling UTSA. The ‘Cats will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to Thibodaux, Louisiana to take on Nicholls. Tip off is at 2 P.M. and KTSW will have pregame at 1:45. Tune in on KTSW 89.9 or ktsw.net.

-Robert Fisher, KTSW Sports Staff Writer