Texas State narrowly beats Northwestern Oklahoma State 74-72

by JASON GORDON

Clutch free throws helped the Texas State mens basketball defeat visiting Northwestern Oklahoma State Sunday afternoon at Strahan Coliseum.

The game was an up-and-down rollercoaster ride, but the Bobcats withstood several dizzying spells to preserve their 13-game home win streak.

“Northwestern Oklahoma was playing loose because they didn’t have anything to lose,” Texas State head coach Doug Davalos said. “In our first couple of games we were able to get out in front of our opponents early but today we had to battle back and I’m proud of our team.”

Brooks Ybarra had 13 points, five rebounds and two steals, while Matt Staff had 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks to lead Texas State (4-2). Reid Koenen added 11 points and four rebounds for the Bobcats.

The Rangers jumped out to an 8-0 lead to start the game and increased their margin to 19-7 thanks to 7-for-10 shooting from the floor.

Northwestern Oklahoma’s largest lead of the half was 14 points with nine minutes to go before the break. The Bobcats battled back and slowly chipped at the Rangers lead as the game went on. Ybarra drained a three-pointer with time expiring to end the half, ending a 15-6 Texas State run that trimmed the margin to 33-30 at the half.

The Bobcats continued to turn it on in the second half. The difference maker was the 25 made free throws by Texas State after the break, compared to only12 for Northwestern Oklahoma.

A three-pointer by Ybarra with 12:29 on the clock gave Texas State its first lead of the game.

The Rangers were able to cut the Texas State advantage to two points after a layup by Jonathan Freemyer with 10 seconds left, but Vonn Jones made four free throws down the stretch for the Bobcats to help preserve the victory.

Texas State returns to the court on Saturday, Dec. 3 to host Houston Baptist. Tipoff at Strahan Coliseum is slated for 4 p.m.