Mason Harrell played every second of Thursday’s road game against UT Arlington and Texas State rode his sharp play to a 63-56 win over the Mavericks.
It’s the third time this year the junior guard crossed the 40-minute threshold. Harrell already handled a big workload for the maroon and gold, averaging 35 minutes a game even before redshirt senior guard Marlin Davis injured his right leg in last Friday’s game against Little Rock. With Davis absent, Harrell has played 84 minutes combined over his last two games.
The Midwest City, Okla., native handled it well last Saturday, putting up 21 points in the team’s victory over the Trojans. And he handled it well again on Friday, leading Texas State with 19 points, reaching a new career high with six rebounds and tying another with seven assists.
Mason Harrell with a clllleeeeaaaannnn behind-the-back assist to Isiah Small. #TXST is on a 12-3 run @smdrsports pic.twitter.com/nlSiZG3VYo
— Drew King (@drewking0222) February 12, 2021
"It was what you would expect a rival game to be," interim head coach Terrence Johnson said in a statement. "It was tough and hard throughout the game. I thought our guys put on a gutsy performance, starting with (senior guard) Shelby Adams and Mason Harrell. Their impact on the defensive end set the tone for us tonight. I am extremely proud of our guys for meeting the challenge tonight. This is not an easy place to win, and UTA is a good team."
The Bobcats set the tone on defense in the first half as four different players combined for five steals during the period. UTA committed 10 turnovers, leading to 16 points for the visitors.
The Mavericks led 24-20 with 5:22 left in the first, but Texas State closed out on a 16-3 run, taking a 36-27 lead into halftime.
The maroon and gold extended the lead to 12 early in the second half, but had it shrunk down to seven when junior guard Caleb Asberry was whistled for his fourth foul with 11:25 on the clock. Asberry had been a major contributor on offense, having already scored 10 points by then, but had to head to the bench to avoid fouling out.
Without Asberry or Davis available, interim head coach Terrence Johnson went with a lineup of Harrell, Adams, redshirt sophomore guard Addison Wallace, senior forward Quentin Scott and redshirt junior forward Alonzo Sule. The lineup missed one shot, committed a shot clock violation and gave up five points on the other end.
Senior forward Isiah Small subbed in for Wallace at the 10:04 mark. The new lineup was outscored by another point before Asberry checked back in with 7:08 left to play. Texas State’s lead had fallen to just one point, up 46-45.
The hosts tied the game twice but were never able to jump back in front. A second-chance layup by Sule put the Bobcats ahead 54-52 and a pilfer by Small two possessions later led to a 3-pointer by Harrell to give the team some breathing room. Texas State held UTA to just four points in the final 4:42 and sank six free throws down the stretch to take the 63-56 win.
Asberry and Sule tied for second place behind Harrell with 12 points each. All five of the Bobcats’ starters grabbed at least five boards, Small leading the way with seven. Adams finished the night with a game-high three steals.
Texas State and the Mavericks will run it back in San Marcos on Saturday, the game set to tip off inside Strahan Arena at 2 p.m. after being moved up due to inclement weather.
