Bobcats Survive Chanticleer Comeback

By Joshua Orozco
Sports Reporter

Bobcat fans can breathe a sigh of relief after experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions during the second half comeback effort from the Chanticleers as Texas State held off Coastal Carolina 65-57. The electric atmosphere continued in Strahan Arena with the fans motivating the ‘Cats to defend their home court with pride during the first ever “Danny Kaspar Jacket Night” at Texas State.

Senior forward Alex Peacock came out the gate determined to give Texas State an early advantage in second chance points opportunities by crashing the boards heavily, leading to three early offensive rebounds. In Texas State’s previous matchup against Coastal Carolina back in January, Peacock lead the team in scoring and the first half of tonight’s game was no different.

Peacock single handedly outscored the Chanticleers seven to six in the opening six minutes and capped off the night totaling 14 points, eight rebounds and four steals to help secure the second straight victory for Texas State.

With Saturday night’s 4,583 attendance total inside Strahan Arena, senior guard Tre Nottingham looked to put on a show, similar to how the Bobcats have performed in the previous three home games in front of record breaking crowds. Nottingham’s highlight efforts caused him to finish with an uncharacteristic total of seven turnovers.

Nottingham understood his mistakes and quickly addressed that turnovers won’t be an issue for long.

“I know the type of player I am, I’m better than that. I just got to go up and finish it next time and just be smarter about my decisions,” Nottingham said.

The Bobcats fought off a game altering 11-0 run in the second half by Coastal Carolina, proving why they deservedly rank first in scoring defense in the Sun Belt Conference. In the closing minutes of the game, Texas State secured the victory with a huge block by forward Eric Terry and a clutch free throw from junior guard Nijal Pearson, who finished the game with 17 points.

On a night filled with mustaches and suits filling up Strahan Arena in the first ever “Danny Kaspar Jacket Night” at Texas State, head coach Danny Kaspar directed his team to victory, securing the third most all-time coaching victories in school history, only trailing Bobcat coaching legends Vernon McDonald (226) and Milton Jowers (287).

Texas State now sits tied atop the Sun Belt along with in-state rival UT-Arlington at 8-3 in conference play as they continue their path towards a Sun Belt Conference championship after dropping back-to-back losses for the first time all season.

With the season winding down and every game being of utmost importance, the Bobcats set their sights on their next matchup in Jonesboro as they take on the Arkansas State Red Wolves. Make sure to spread the love of Valentine’s day by catching Bobcat basketball next Thursday at 7:00 p.m. on KTSW 89.9.

Featured photo by Texas State Athletics.