Feb. 15, 2008

SAN MARCOS - The Texas State Bobcats shocked the Southland Conference with their win over top-ranked Sam Houston State this season and the Bobcats look to use that same intensity Saturday when they host Southland Conference leader Lamar. Tip-off against the Cardinals at Strahan Coliseum is set for 4:05 p.m. and will be broadcast on FSN-Southwest.

The Bobcats are rebounding from an 81-77 road loss in their last bout with McNeese State. The loss shifted Texas State to 4-6 in league play and 11-12 overall. Brent Benson led the team with 28 points, a career-high for the junior, hitting five three point baskets and going 11-13 from the free throw line.

Lamar enters the game on two day's rest after hosting Texas-Arlington Thursday night. The Cardinals earned their seventh-straight SLC victory with the 80-66 decision. Kenny Dawkins led the team with 19 points, while four others teammates finished in double figures.

At home, Texas State is at an even 2-2 record in league play, and looks to the home court advantage in Saturday's bid to knock off the Cardinals. However, Lamar will counter with its current victory run and efforts from two-time SLC player of the week Lamar Sanders. The team is 14-8 overall and 8-1 in conference, with its lone loss coming at the hands of Stephen F. Austin in the opening week of SLC play.

Texas State and Lamar sit in the one and two spot for offensive scoring in the Southland, leaving Saturday's match at the hands of defense. Texas State has yet to hold any team to less than 72 points all season, while Lamar's scoring defense averages out to nearly the same number.

The two teams are in a taut race, averaging close to the same marks on assists, steals and turnover margins. LU dishes the ball for a 16.68-15.87 lead, but the Bobcats average 9.78 steals to the Cardinals 9.27.

Brandon Bush continues to lead the Texas State offense with 14.3 points and seven rebounds this season. The guard is just two points shy of notching 1,000 career points at Texas State and ranks seventh in scoring for the SLC. The mark sandwiches Bush between Lamar's Dawkins, who sits sixth with 14.6 average points and eighth seat Benson with 13.4 points.

Lamar Sanders holds the high mark in the rebound column for Lamar with 7.3, a sixth place standing in conference, two above Bush.

Down by just one meeting, Texas State falls 25-26 in the all-time series with Lamar. In last season's game, the Cardinals took a 96-69 victory over the Bobcats at Strahan. Texas State's last victory over the eastern foe came Feb. 19, 2005 - nearly three years to date, when the `Cats play to an 83-75 overtime feat.