In the first home game of 2025 for the team, the Bobcats came out with a dominating offensive performance, beating the Georgia State Panthers 94-80.
Following a long road trip, Head Coach Terrence Johnson gave his appreciation for crowd support while being proud of his team for holding their own against the Panthers.
“After a four game roadswing, itt was good for us to be back in Strahan,” Johnson said. ”I appreciate the administration and the community for putting on the blackout and for the support. [Georiga State] is a tough team that we played but I thought that our guys stuck together with their focus.
“We had our ups and downs but for the most part, I appreciate them and their ability to hold on to the rope.”
Both the Bobcats and the Panthers traded baskets back and forth before a 5-0 run by Georgia State put the visitors up 12-6.
A layup by Nate Deer sparked a 10-0 run by the and was capped off by a three pointer from graduate senior small forward Tyrel Morgan, putting the Bobcats up 16-12.
Georgia State responded with a 7-0 run, allowing the Panthers to go back up 19-16.
Following a jumper from senior small forwardJoshua O’Garro, the Bobcats went on a massive 22-1 run, leading the Panthers 38-20 with their largest lead of the first half.
The Panthers closed out the final five minutes of the first half, outscoring Texas State 19-8 but the Bobcats held the lead going into halftime up 46-35.
Texas State opened the second half on a 11-2 run helped out by three three pointers from Morgan and sophomore point guard Kaden Gumbs as the duo crossed into double figures. The run concluded with senior power forward Tylan Pope completing the double-double after nabbing his tenth rebound and scoring his 14th point, putting the Bobcats up 65-54.
Georgia State tried to make their comeback and cut the Texas State lead down to 75-64.
But the Bobcats responded with a 16-3 run to extend the lead 91-67.
Georgia State closed out the game on a 13-3 run but the deficit was too much to overcome, allowing the Bobcats to win 94-80.
Pope led the team in scoring with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Junior shooting guard Coleton Benson was second in scoring with 18 points, shooting 5-12 from the three point line. Both Morgan and Gumbs finished with 13 points each while Greene finished with 10 points and 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.
The Bobcats return home 2 p.m. Saturday against Southern Miss.
