Feb. 9, 2008

Final Stats

SAN MARCOS - Joyce Ekworomadu scored 17 points in the second half, and a swarming Bobcat defense forced 26 turnovers as Texas State (14-8, 8-1 SLC) defeated Texas-Arlington (12-8, 7-2 SLC) 63-59 to claim sole possession of first place in the Southland Conference over the Mavericks on Saturday.

Both teams struggled to find a rhythm in the first half until a 9-0 Texas State run put the Bobcats on top 20-14 with 6:45 remaining in the first half. Texas-Arlington fought back from there, taking a 25-23 lead on a Candice Champion lay-up that capped a 7-0 run.

With the `Cats cold and unable to convert on the offensive end, the Mavs took a 29-26 lead at the half while holding Texas State to just 31 percent shooting in the first half.

The Bobcats bounced back to start the second half with tough defense and Ekworomadu's shooting. The senior guard scored Texas State's first 10 points of the second half to spark a 12-3 run over the first 4:36. Over that same span, the Bobcat defense forced four turnovers and held Texas-Arlington to 1-8 shooting from the field as the `Cats took a 38-32 lead.

The Mavs stayed close, pulling within three at 49-46 with 6:13 remaining in the game. After LaTosha Duffey missed a three that would have tied the game, Ekworomadu buried one from downtown to double the lead to six and jumpstart a 10-0 run that gave the Bobcats their largest lead of the game at 59-46 with 4:09 to play.

Texas-Arlington tried to close the gap, holding Texas State without a field goal over the final 4:48 and cutting the lead to only four with 26 second left. Aimee Hilburn, the SLC's leading foul shooter, then missed both free throws to give the Mavs a chance to make it a one possession game, and Meghan Nelson cut the lead to two by hitting her two free throws with 13 seconds on the clock and the score 61-59.

Ekworomadu then got fouled immediately on the inbound pass, and she coolly went down and sank both of her free throws to put Texas State back up by four. After a timeout, the Mavs could not get a quick shot off to complete their comeback bid, as Brooke DeGrate deflected one pass out of bounds before Duffey turned the ball over with one second left to seal the win for Texas State.

Champion finished with 14 points to lead Texas-Arlington while Tiffeny Riles went a perfect 5-for-5 from the floor to finish with 12 points. The Mavericks shot just 33 percent in the second half and 38 percent for the game while making only one of their 10 three point attempts.

Texas State now looks ahead to another tough week when the Bobcats close out their five-game home stand on Valentine's Day against McNeese State before traveling to SLC East leader Lamar on February 16.