Zenarae Antoine called her first timeout less than three minutes into Friday’s game against UT Arlington.
Texas State was already down 7-0 after a 3-pointer by Mavericks junior guard Katie Ferrell. The Bobcats had missed all five of their shots and committed two turnovers. The head coach wanted her players to calm down a bit.
“We know the scout, we have an understanding of how they got to those books, we understand what we need to do to take care of the basketball. Now let's just settle down and play,” Antoine said. “It's early enough that for most teams, there isn't a sense of panic. And honestly, a lot of them were reiterating that to each other.”
After the break, junior forward Da’Nasia Hood received a sideline inbound pass on the left wing. Redshirt sophomore forward Lauryn Thompson set as screen and Hood took one dribble to the right before pulling up behind the arc. The shot sailed in to get the maroon and gold on the board.
It was one of several in-game adjustments Texas State had to make during the contest — something Antoine wanted to see her team improve on heading into Friday. The team’s execution of the in-game adjustments and Hood’s offense led to a 66-45 win over UTA inside Strahan Arena
“I feel like that has been the difference in our close games that we've fallen on, you know, the sad end of the ballgame, if you will, is that we didn't make those in-game adjustments quick enough or we didn't make the adjustment at all,” Antoine said. “So if I have to point to anything at all that I'm most proud of, it's the in-game adjustments that our team made within the game — talking through the timeouts, getting that change, that's what I'm most proud of.”
The visitors forced seven turnovers during the first quarter, helping them establish a 19-11 lead heading into the second. Hood kept the hosts afloat through it all. She scored seven points in the opening period, then sank a jumper to open the second quarter. The Mavericks gained their largest lead of the day at 22-13, but back-to-back treys by Hood sparked a 14-2 run that gave the Bobcats a three-point lead with just under three minutes left in the first half.
Da'Nasia Hood is HOT today ?
— Drew King (@drewking0222) February 12, 2021
Back-to-back treys (her second and third of the day) pull #TXST within three at the media timeout with 5:39 left in the half @smdrsports pic.twitter.com/KXTnd0ZXc9
A layup by sophomore forward Chelsea Johnson gave Texas State a 29-27 lead going into half time. Hood was already up 17 points and five rebounds.
The hosts got a big lift from junior guard Ja’Kayla Bowie in the third quarter. Bowie, who scored a career-high 14 points in the team’s last game at Little Rock, shot a perfect 3-3 during the frame for eight points while grabbing four rebounds.
After allowing UTA to momentarily retake the lead early in the third quarter at 31-29, the Bobcats countered with a 20-0 run led by Bowie. Ferrell hit a triple just before the end of the quarter to cut the deficit to 49-34 leading into the fourth.
“There were times that Da'Nasia was just making tough shots like (former Texas State guard) Toshua (Leavitt) would. Like, ‘How did that go in?’” Antoine said. “I really feel like this young woman is in her zone at this point.”
“Ja'Kayla is hungry and that's what I like right now. That hunger, that want-to to get better is something that she really works hard at. And anytime she messes up or hits any kind of adversity, I've found that she's maturing well, she's able to get out of it quickly. And the way she's gotten out of it is, she gets hustle plays. She's getting her hands on the ball, she's tying it up, she's talking, she's cheering on her teammates.”
The Bobcats had to make another adjustment when junior guard Kennedy Taylor hurt her right ankle after driving to the paint and dishing an assist to Hood. Taylor went to the sideline with seven minutes left in the game, the maroon and gold up by 17.
The Mavericks used a full-court press to take advantage of Texas State’s lack of ball handling. The Bobcats committed four turnovers, resulting in an 8-0 run by the visitors that cut their lead down to single digits at 53-44 with 4:39 left to play.
But Hood drilled another midrange jumper with the hosts’ next possession and Taylor returned to the floor at the next dead ball. Texas State closed out the game on a 13-1 run to take the 66-45 home victory.
Hood finished the day with 25 points and seven rebounds. She was followed by Taylor with nine points and Bowie and senior guard Avionne Alexander with eight each. Taylor gave out eight assists. Bowie led the team with nine rebounds. Alexander posted a career-high five steals. The team outrebounded UTA, 50-28.
The Bobcats (8-9, 5-7 Sun Belt) are scheduled to play UTA (10-6, 8-4) again in Arlington on Saturday at 2 p.m. With Friday’s win, Texas State holds a 6-1 record at home, but Antoine said she’s been frustrated by the team’s 2-8 record on the road.
“I've watched so much film. I've asked God, I've prayed quite a bit as well to help me find a way to close out games on the road,” Antoine said. “I'm more focused on what's going on on the road than I am at home right now. I'm really excited when we have opportunities to play at home. Obviously, it's comfortable.
“I don't necessarily know the formula at this point as to why that is, especially because we found ourselves in so many close games on the road, opportunities where we had the last shot and we missed it to put us ahead. That's something that I'm still trying to work through because in the preseason, we played so many games on the road and we did pretty good. I thought that would prepare us for conference play and for some reason, it hasn't.”
