Texas State Outlasts Southern University in a Physical Battle at Strahan Arena 

By Santos Gonzalez

KTSW Sports Reporter

The Texas State men’s basketball team picked up a hard fought win over the Southern University Jaguars at Strahan Arena, grinding out a bruising matchup that featured constant contact in the paint, extended defensive possessions, and bodies on the floor throughout the night. 

From the opening tip it was clear that this would not be a clean or high rhythm game. Both teams defended with force, bumped cutters off their spots, and challenged every drive. Texas State relied heavily on its interior presence, winning most of the 50–50 plays and controlling the boards for long stretches. The Bobcats repeatedly attacked the rim through Kaden Gumbs and Mark Drone, using their speed to create scoring chances despite heavy on ball pressure. 

The physical tone came with consequences late in the first half when guard Dimp Pernell went down after a hard landing on his already injured left knee. The arena fell silent as trainers attended to him. According to reports, Pernell had been competing on a badly injured ACL, making the injury even more concerning for the team. His status will continue to be monitored as Texas State moves forward. 

Even with the disruption, Texas State tightened up its half court execution and found enough separation down the stretch to put the game away. The win ends a losing skid and gives the Bobcats momentum entering conference play. 

Head coach Terrence Johnson emphasized how important this victory is for the mindset of his team with the Sun Belt schedule approaching.
 “It is huge you know, I mean you do not want to go into conference play with a four game losing streak. So some of our guys get confidence and get some excitement about it. Now we have a couple of days to get ourselves healed up and just focus on the Sun Belt conference.” 

Leadership also played a major role in the win. After the game, Gumbs and Drone spoke about what it means when Coach Johnson calls them the leaders of this team.
 “It means a lot because obviously we got three returners being us two and Frank, but us being out there right now with a lot of new guys we have to show them the ropes. I will give credit to them though. They are great listeners. They know we know Coach TJ is the best at and we are going to put them in the right position to be successful just like the coaches are.” 

Texas State now looks ahead to its conference opener against Arkansas State with renewed belief, improved toughness, and a clearer sense of identity after surviving one of the most physical games of the early season.