Coming Out Party for Brandon Davis

Jaysen Collins

Sports Reporter

The Texas State Men’s basketball team coasted past the Cameron Aggies in an exhibition game by a final score of 90-65 on Wednesday at Strahan Arena.

Tyrel Morgan, senior forward, followed up with 16 points, six rebounds, and six assists.

Brandon Davis, junior guard transfer from Loyola in the NAIA division led all scorers with 23 points and he also recorded seven rebounds.

Brandon Davis got his first action at the division one level, and he didn’t disappoint. When asked about his performance, he knew he was ready for this moment.

“I felt I played (well), but I could’ve played better with decision making. I played well shooting the ball,” he said. “But I worked to get up to this point, so I’m just embracing it and grateful for the opportunity.”

From the beginning of the game, it was all Texas State. The length and athleticism of the Bobcats was too much for Cameron to handle. The Aggies could never get their offense settled in a position where they were comfortable. The entire game was played at Texas State’s pace.

The Aggies kept the game close in the first half with excellent three-point shooting. They shot 61 percent from the three-point line in the first half to keep them within 15 points coming into the second half.

In the second half, the Aggies shot 16 percent from the three-point line. I asked Coach Terrence Johnson what was said after halftime that caused a switch to flip on the defensive end in the second half and he said it was effort.

“We just talked about the numbers. Those things don’t lie. It’s a level of pride you have to take in that,” he said. “I thought we came out with a conscious effort in the second half, even from the first play trying to contest open shots.”

Once the second half started, the rout began. Three-pointers were keeping the Aggies alive in this one and once they stopped falling, the game was blown open. The Bobcats opened the second half on a 17-6 run to go up by 21 with 15:22 left.

This run would ultimately determine the game as the Aggies never seemed to find any rhythm in the second half as the Bobcats continued to pour it on.

Johnson was excited for his team to play against someone other than themselves to see where they are at going forward. He knows this team needs the reps and tonight showed him some of what he needed to see.

“We have some new people in new places, so what’s important for us is to get the experience. We’ve been good the last couple of years because we’ve been experienced. This is the youngest we’ve been in a very long time,” he said.  “I was happy with the outcome tonight. We got some guys learning new positions and new concepts, and it’s going to be important we sharpen that learning curve moving forward.”

The Bobcats will play their season opener Monday as they travel to Pullman, Washington to play against Washington State. The game will begin at 6:30 pm.