Eddie Rios scored eight straight points for the Bobcats, including back-to-back three-pointers late in the game, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Longhorns in Austin on Saturday. Still, Texas State kept its streak of home wins, which now stands at 15, alive with a narrow win over the University of Houston. (Photo courtesy of Texas State University)
From STAFF REPORTS
The Texas State men’s basketball team lost to the University of Texas 86-52 Saturday at the Frank Erwin Center. The loss snapped The Bobcats’ three-game winning streak.
Texas stepped up its defense to hold Texas State to a season-low 25.9 percent (15-of-58) shooting from the floor. The Bobcats were also outrebounded 42-27. The Longhorns were also able to score 14 points off 14 Bobcat turnovers.
Eddie Rios was able to score eight straight points for the Bobcats, including back-to-back three-pointers late in the game, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap. He led Texas State with 11 points. Wesley Davis and Travis Jones were also able to get to the basket at times during the game and finished with eight points apiece for the Bobcats.
The Bobcats, who finished with seven three-pointers in the game, were able to hold a steady lead on UT in the beginning of the half. Unfortunately for Texas State, its shots stopped falling as frequently as the game progressed.
Texas had five players finish in double digits with Julien Lewis leading the way. Lewis recorded 19 points as the Longhorns shot 56.3 percent from the floor.
Previous to the loss to the Longhorns, Texas State captured its 15th straight home win in front of a season-high 3,527 fans at Strahan Coliseum with a thrilling 81-78 win over the University of Houston. The Bobcats now hold the 11th longest home winning streak in the nation.
Davis, a Texas State freshman guard, was nearly unstoppable against the Cougars. The rookie netted a career-high 18 points and swiped four steals to lead the Bobcats to the impressive win. Matt Staff recorded his second double-double of the season for the Bobcats with 16 points and 11 boards.
The Bobcats took a 50-34 lead into halftime, with help from Davis who was perfect from the floor, hitting six field goals, including two three-pointers.
Texas State came out after the halftime break fired up, and back-to-back treys by Staff and Rios gave the Bobcats their largest lead of the game at 23 points and forced the Cougars to call a timeout.
Over the next eight minutes, the Cougars outscored the Bobcats 26-11, which trimmed Texas State’s lead to eight.
TaShawn Thomas brought Houston to within two points on a layup with 18 seconds to go. From then on it became a foul-and-free throw game. Texas State connected on 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
Texas State will continue its three-game road trip next week when it heads to New York. The Bobcats will play at Long Island on Dec. 20 and at Fordham on Dec. 22.
