Bobcats Snap Three Game Skid

By Jaysen Collins
Sports Reporter

The Texas State men’s basketball team defeated the Georgia Southern Eagles by a final score of 70-67 on Thursday night at Strahan Arena.

The Bobcats were on a three-game losing streak overall, and a four game losing streak in Strahan Arena before tonight.

Nighael Ceaser led all scorers with 23 points to go, along with four rebounds. Davion Coleman finished with a career high as a Bobcat with 16 points and five rebounds. Both players came off the bench.

Coach Johnson has faith in all of his players. Ceaser and Coleman having the game they had didn’t catch Johnson off guard, and practice was a big part of that.

“Those guys had a good week of practice. So, I felt like going to those guys early and getting them a little bit of time to play through their mistakes would be key for us down the stretch,” Johnson said. “I’m not surprised by either one of them and their ability to contribute to this win tonight.”

The Eagles got off to a fast start as they opened the game on a 10-0 run, but the Bobcats were able to bounce back and go on their own 16-4 run to put them up 16-14, with only 11:24 to play in the first half.

Going into halftime, Georgia Southern led 36-31 and it was off the back of Andre Savrasov. He finished the first half shooting 7-8 from the field with 17 points, while the Bobcats had no answer at all.

Savrasov ended the game with 17 points. When asked about what adjustments were made that caused Savrasov to be scoreless for the entire second half, Johnson put Tyrel Morgan to the test.

“I had a little spirited conversation with Tyrel Morgan at halftime,” Johnson said. “So, he stepped up to the challenge and I’m glad that he did.”

Throughout the entirety of the game, neither team could seem to gain traction. Once either team made a run, the other came back with a blow of it’s own. That was until the 5:29 mark in the second half.

Nighael Ceaser took over the game at that point and scored six straight points to put the Bobcats up by five. Ceaser usually does his damage in the paint but tonight the jump-shot was on full display.

From that point forward, it was all Bobcats. They went up by as much as seven with 1:21 remaining in the game. Georgia Southern fought to the very end to make it a one possession game with 10 seconds left but the Bobcats sealed the game with a stop.

The Bobcats move to 4-5 in Sun Belt play and will go on to play Southern Mississippi on Saturday, Jan 28 in Southern Miss at 2 pm. Johnson knows it’s a quick turnaround, but he knows his squad is battle tested and ready.

“Our non-conference schedule has helped us when it comes down to travel,” Johnson said. “So, for us, it’s just about getting proper rest, nutrition, hydration and getting our minds right.”

Featured Image by Beau Kelly