Bobcats Shoot Lights-Out, Lose to Ladyjacks Anyway

Spurred by a couple of impassioned speeches in practice from head coach Suzanne Fox and assistant coach Patrick Henry, the Texas State women's basketball team came into Nacogdoches more focused than ever. The 'Cats came into Johnson Coliseum and exploded for their best offensive performance this year, shooting nearly 50% from the field and scoring their highest point total against a Division 1 opponent on the season. The only problem? They lost 95-83 to SFA anyway.

Yup, it really has been that kind of season for Texas State.

Texas State flashed out of the gates in the first half and kept the Ladyjacks on their heels, reeling off a 9-2 run that put the 'Cats up 26-19 with 8:30 left in the first half. SFA quickly cut that 7-point lead to 2 with 5:32 remaining, but Texas State opened up a 6 point lead just as rapidly. Then, with 1:30 remaining in the first half, the Bobcats gave up the lead and the momentum in a fashion excruciatingly similar to other losses where they gave up momentum near halftime. Texas State went into halftime down 43-39, and looming ominous on the horizon was the fact that SLC Preseason Player of the Year Whitney Cormier was held to only four points in the first half. Ladyjack fans were expecting her to break out in the 2nd, and that is exactly what she did.

Cormier responded with 11 points to start the 2nd half, and SFA went on a 35-21 run in the first ten minutes. The 'Cats suddenly found themselves down by 18, and despite a number of admirable runs in which Texas State was able to get as close as 8 points, the deficit would prove to be insurmountable. Texas State played extremely hard despite a seemingly hopeless situation, and that effort was highlighted in a scary moment involving junior forward Anna Brzozowski. As she was trying to make a save to her teammates on a ball headed out of bounds, Brzozowski collided with the base of the basket, flipped up in the air, and landed on her back. She unfortunately had to be helped off of the floor on crutches, but the play was the epitome of how much the Bobcats sacrificed themselves to try to get the win tonight. It was, in my opinion, the most inspired they have played all season.

That being said, when you get right down to it, this loss was eerily similar to most of the other Bobcat losses this season. Texas State played well in the first half, made a couple of runs, and stuck with their opponent for a good 15 minutes. However, they surrended the momentum before halftime once again, and suffered another huge opponent run in the early 2nd half that would be too much to overcome. The 'Cats gave up too many turnovers and points off of turnovers (24), and conceded a whopping 25 offensive boards that resulted in 25 Ladyjack second chance points. With that all in mind, the only difference between this loss and all of the others is that both teams scored more points. Coach Fox mentioned her team's need to put together "a complete game," something that has been eluding Texas State all season.

Texas State drops to 6-18 and 2-11 in SLC play with the loss, and only have three games left to punch a ticket to the Southland Conference tournament in Katy. Kelsey Krupa had a season-high 23 points and Victoria Davis dropped 14. SFA had five players in double figures, including post Chantol Drennan who controlled the paint for 20 points.

The 'Cats will face Northwestern State on Saturday at 4:00 PM in Strahan Coliseum, you can listen live on 89.9 FM KTSW, ktsw.net, and txstatebobcats.com.

-Will Butler, KTSW Sports Director/Blog Editor