First Round of the SLC Tournament takes seeds 1-4; Bobcats left behind

The Men's basketball team went into Katy, Texas to take part in the Southland Conference Tournament Wednesday as a # 5 seed. They took on a tough Southeastern Louisiana squad who held the # 4 seed. Both teams were on a roll coming into the game as they were both on a 3-game winning streak. The Bobcats' winning streak was a little more impressive, however, as they beat UTSA in San Antonio and the Southland Conference champs, Sam Houston State, at home. Nonetheless, when you go into postseason play, all of that is thrown out of the window because none of it really matters, and the 'Cats can attest to that as they fell to the Lions 79-78 in overtime.

Texas State led by 17 points going into the half when senior guard John Rybak nailed a fall-away three from the corner at the buzzer. The 'Cats looked like the superior team in almost every aspect of the game. They ended up crushing the Lions on the boards, 49-31, and shot a better percentage from the free-throw line. However, they turned the ball over too much. On the season, when the Bobcats have fewer than 16 turnovers they are a perfect 6-0. So guess how many turnovers they had Wednesday night? Yep, you got it. 21 turnovers to only 12 assists was the mark that bit the 'cats in the end. None were more costly than one that came at the hands of Ryan White with :05 left on the clock though. He was dribbling the ball at the half-court line, wasting the clock away so the bobcats could get the final shot as time expired. Then he accidentally dribbled the ball off of his leg and into the back-court where he lost it and SLU gained possesion. The Lions missed a layup at the buzzer, which sent the game into overtime.

Note: In that saecond half SLU went on a 22-7 run and got the second lead change of the night at the 6:24 mark. The Lions hit the first three-pointer of the game in the opening minute of the first half, but the Bobcats took control from then on. Guard Trent Hutchin from SLU finished with 21 points on the night, 18 of them coming in the second half/overtime. Cameron Johnson finished with 23 points and 8 rebounds, and Ryan White finished with 17 points and 6 rebounds. Both stars will be seniors next year.

In overtime the teams kept trading baskets until the final seconds. Senior Bidias A' Moute was whistled for a foul with only 2 seconds left that stunned the crowd and sent SLU's star center Patrick Sullivan to the line. Texas State had no more timeouts so they could not really do much but pray that he would miss the two attempts. Sullivan, who was currently 2-4 from the line on the night, stepped up and missed the first shot. Texas State fans went crazy behind the press line as that shot gave the 'Cats some light. Then Sullivan took a deep breath, stepped up to the line, and stuck a dagger right into bocat hopefuls. Nothing but twine, as the shot was grabbed out of the net by Rybak aware his team had no more timeouts. He sprinted out of bounds with the ball a rifled a pass down court to Forward Cameron Johnson who had been carrying the team down the stretch. Johnson leaped up, snatched the ball away from one defender, and turned towards the basket to stare down a wide-open 15-foot jump shot. The Christian Laettner-like heroics were unsuccessful as Johnson's shot clanked off the rim, long.

The shot was a great explanation of the game as a whole, a heartbreaker. A game where the Bobcats were in control the ENTIRE time. They played solid defense and made every open shot, even some very tough ones, and they fought. They fought for about 35 out of the 40 minutes in regulation, which left the door open for the Lions to come in and snatch the victory away from the Bobcats. The loss continues the losing-streak for the 'cats as they have not won a tournament game since the 2002 season. It will be a LONG AND DREARY off-season for the returners as they think about what "could've been." As for the two seniors, John Rybck and Emmanuel Bidias A' Moute, you guys fought your heart out and I tip my hat off to both of you. You both deserved more and I'm sorry that y'all (we are in Texas) had to go out like this, but that's just the way the ball rolls sometimes. As for all the returners and Bobcats fans, it was a great ride while it lasted but you know what they say, there's always next year, and it promises to be a good one. Mark my words. So until then, keep your heads up and keep the Bobcat Pride Alive!

- Robert Fisher, KTSW Sports Staff Writer