Bobcats Wreak Havoc in IH-35 Showdown

By Keilani DeLuna

KTSW Sports Reporter

Coming into the match against the Roadrunners, the Bobcats (1-2) were coming off a three-game road trip. UTSA leads the all-time series 37-25, having won four of the last five encounters. Before Friday, Texas State’s most recent victory came on December 1, 2018, in San Antonio with a score of 69-68. The Bobcats boast a 12-17 home record in the series hosting the Roadrunners and last won in Strahan Arena on December 2, 2015, by a score of 76-53. 

The Roadrunners won the tip-off to start the first half, but the Bobcats did not let up. Lots of energy was displayed by both squads, as both teams tried to settle in offensively. The Bobcats were forcing many turnovers on defense in the first half and successfully capitalizing off the Roadrunners mistakes. 

Brandon Love led the way for the Bobcats- posting his second double-double of the season. He tied his career high of 18 points while also setting a new career high of 14 rebounds. Love also blocked four shots, giving him a total of nine rejections in the last two games. Another top performer for the Bobcats was Junior forward, Christian Turner. Turner led all scorers with 19 points on 4-of-8 shooting and 10-of-12 free throw attempts, a career-high. In addition, he collected five rebounds and two assists. Joshua O’Garro also finished in double digits with 13 points, six rebounds, and a game-high of three steals. 

At one point, Texas State held the Roadrunners scoreless for five minutes while scoring eight points to grab a five-point lead. UTSA would take a 27-25 lead into halftime after scoring five of the final seven points.  

Senior Roadrunner guard, Dre Fuller Jr. nailed a jump shot one minute into the second half to put the Roadrunners up 29-28. The Bobcats answered with a 6-0 run to take control of the game. UTSA, on the other hand, would not go away, coming within a point twice, the last at 48-47 at the 8:52 mark. 

The Bobcats attempted a whopping 43 free throws, some of which came in crunch time during the second half.  

Texas State Head Coach Terrence Johnson had an opportunity to talk about his team’s identity.  

“We’re a gritty group”, Johnson said. “We live at the free throw line with and-ones and things of that nature and we don’t settle.” 

On November 21st the Bobcats will be on the road again to face McNeese State, 12pm at the Thomas Assembly Center.