GETTING INSIDE

It’s hard to say there’s much reason to think a team mired in a stretch of eight losses in 10 games is a dangerous team, but the Bobcats might just surprise some people come Southland Conference play.

Texas State has scrapped its way to some competitive games with some teams that were probably expecting a gimmie win.

Before a 17-0 run that finally gave DePaul some breathing room late in the first half and early in the second, the Bobcats were going toe-to-toe with Blue Demons.

The scare the Bobcats routinely put in their opponents stems from pressure defense that has powered the team to the top of the Southland Conference in steals per game.

“I thought we had gained the lead by trapping the ball when they set screens in their offense,” Texas State coach Doug Davalos said of the first-half lead his team had on DePaul.

If Texas State can keep creating possessions by stealing the ball, it may be able to string together enough offense to make more noise than most expect in league play.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Texas State gives up a league worst 82.2 points per game, mostly because teams are shooting 48.1 percent from the field against the Bobcats, the second-worst defensive field-goal percentage in the Southland Conference through Christmas.

• Texas State ledsthe conference in steals per game at 9.2 per game, but it had just one player, junior F Cameron Johnson, in the top 10 individually in that category. Johnson’s 1.5 steals per game ranked 10th in the league.

January At A Glance:   If the Bobcats are to pull things together and play better than their current dismal record would indicate, you’ll know by mid-January. A tough road stretch of games is behind them, and Southland play opens with UT Arlington on the road, then home games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Central Arkansas. Should Texas State manage to go 2-1 in that stretch, things could be interesting, although it wouldn’t surprise anyone in the league if they went 0-3.

Quote To Note:   “I thought that during the first 17 minutes of the game we had (DePaul) doubting themselves and realizing that they were in for a real fight.”—Texas State coach Doug Davalos.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Season Recap:   Coach Doug Davalos has been proud of his team’s effort, not so much the results. The Bobcats had a chance to beat TCU (lost in triple overtime), hung tough for a half with DePaul before falling victim to a 17-0 run, had a chance to beat SMU (and get a rematch Jan. 2) and won back-to-back games by double digits in early December over Texas A&M-International and Texas-Pan American.

Player Rotation:   Usual Starters—G Uriel Segura, G John Bowman, F Tony Bishop, F Cameron Johnson, F John Rybak. Key Subs—G Ryan White, G Dylan Hale, C Emmanuel Bidias A’ Moute, F J.B. Conley.

Game Review:  

Smu 94, T  exas State 86

Texas 87, Texas State 54

DePaul 86, Texas State 69

Game Preview:  

vs. Texas Lutheran, Tuesday, Dec. 29

vs. SMU, Saturday, Jan. 2

vs. Oklahoma Panhandle State, Tuesday, Jan. 5

at UT Arlington, Saturday, Jan. 9

vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Wednesday, Jan. 13

In Focus:   It doesn’t happen often in college basketball, but the Bobcats get a second chance at a nonconference foe Jan. 2 when they host SMU. The Bobcats scrapped their way but lost 94-86 on Dec. 7 at SMU. They host the Mustangs this go-round. In the first game, three Bobcats—Uriel Segura, Tony Bishop and J.B. Conley—scored 18 points each.

Roster Report:  

• Freshman G Dylan Hale, who was averaging 7 points per game this season, had a career-high 22 points in the loss to DePaul.

• Seven Bobcats were within 4.5 points of each other atop the team’s scoring chart. The team’s top scorer, senior F John Rybak, was averaging 11.4 points per game. The team’s seventh-leading scorer, junior F Tony Bishop, was averaging 6.9.