Texas State men’s basketball falls short to Troy at home, snaps two-game winning streak (2/25/2025)

By: Preston Terranova

KTSW Reporter

SAN MARCOS, Texas — It was a back-and-forth battle in Strahan Arena between the Texas State Bobcats and Troy Trojans, with the Trojans coming out on top 74-69 after pulling away late in the fourth quarter. 

The Trojans had been waiting for this game since January 9th, when the Bobcats came into their building and beat them in a close contest 74-73. The loss to Texas State snapped Troy’s five-game winning streak, the Trojans’ longest of the season. 

Tylan Pope had a successful outing with 25 points, shooting 8-12 from the field and also knocking down his only 3-point attempt. The senior added an 8-8 performance from the free-throw line to his night as well. No other Bobcat scored in double-digit points against the Trojans. The second-leading scorer for Texas State was guard Mark Drone, who finished with nine points and also shot 2-12 from the field.

The Trojans’ offense was powered by a 24-point performance from senior Tayto Conerway, as well as a 10 rebound outing from sophomore Thomas Dowd. Troy forward Myles Rigsby recorded 15 points and five rebounds against Texas State. Rigsby recorded 11 of his 11 points at the free throw line.

A factor to note is starting senior forward, Dylan Dawson, exited the game after playing five minutes. Guard Kaden Gumbs, still ramping up playing time from an injury/illness, logged a total of nine minutes on the court.

Second and third-chance opportunities proved to be a key factor for Troy, as they out rebounded the Bobcats offensively and defensively. Troy recorded 18 offensive rebounds and 41 total compared to Texas State’s 33 total rebounds and 11 offensive boards.

Following the win, the Trojans travel on the road to take on the Southern Miss Golden Eagles (10-19), looking to improve to 13-5 in conference play heading into the Sun Belt Conference tournament. 

On the other end, with the loss tonight, Texas State falls back to .500 with a 15-15 record and an 8-9 record in conference play.

Texas State head coach Terrence Johnson said the team played a little too harsh on themselves against Troy, not showing the body language needed for a victory.

 “You know, basketball is a game of runs; it’s an up-and-down game, and we were not very consistent with the way that we handled those things, and I think that as we went [away], the game went [away].”

With seven points being the largest lead either team could build all night, a few plays here and there is what made the difference in this ball game.

The Texas State Bobcats will end their regular season at home on Feb. 28 at 7:00 p.m. against the Sun Belt Conference’s #1 ranked team, James Madison University. The Dukes currently post a 20-10 record, going 13-4 in conference play. 

It will be the the first matchup of the season between the two squads. Texas State will look to spoil the Dukes’ night, as the Dukes will be crowned the regular-season Sun Belt Conference champions and cut down the nets in Strahan Arena if they are able to defeat the Bobcats.

The regular-season finale will be available to watch only on ESPN+.