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Bobcats Look for Repeat over Runners
Feb. 22, 2008
SAN MARCOS - The Texas State Bobcats will host Texas-San Antonio for the second I-35 Maroon vs. Orange rivalry series game this Saturday at Strahan Coliseum. Tip is slated for 7 p.m. and the `Cats will look for its fifth-straight victory over the southern foe. Texas State is coming off a huge road victory over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, taking a 71-69 nail biting-victory. Although the team matched its season-low shooting efforts at 31 percent, the Bobcat's defense held its course in Wednesday night's game. For the first time this year, Texas State held their opponent to under 72 points in the victory. Brandon Thomas set the tone for the team, notching his third double-double of the season, with 18 points and 15 rebounds on the night. Brandon Bush chipped in 13 points and six boards, while Corey Jefferson knocked down ten points and dished out half his total points, with five assists. The win improves the `Cats Southland Conference record to 5-7 with just three more games after the match-up with UTSA. Texas State will host two of the three games at Strahan, but the team has performed better on the road than at home since the berth of league play. (3-4, 2-3, respectively) Texas State remains at the top of the offensive scoring and rebounding charts for the conference, averaging 83.4 points and 43.4 rebounds an outing. Texas-San Antonio falls in at 11th and 5th, respectively. UTSA holds the lead in the steals column, averaging 9.25 rips a game with freshman Devin Gibson's 3.41 steals taking the first place spot in SLC action. The Roadrunners are 5-6 in league action and could possible enter the post season as the No. 6 seed, taking third place in the West division. UTSA will enter Saturday's game coming off three-straight wins, beating Southeastern Louisiana and Nicholls State on the road and Texas-Arlington in the Convocation Center. Texas-San Antonio had yet to win a road game this season until the past week.
Gibson also leads the Roadrunner offense with 13.3 points per game, averaging 70 percent from the three-point line. In the Jan. 26 meeting, Gibson and Ryan White squared off at the top court with White notching a career-high 17 points in the Maroon and White victory. Gibson managed 15 points for the Runners. Texas State has won the last four meetings with Texas-San Antonio and Saturday's meeting will be the 45th between the two schools. The Bobcats do fall behind in the all-time series, 17-28. |
