Texas State head coach Doug Davalos made the best point of his post-game press conference in the middle of the nine-minute, 31-second interview.
After fielding a question from a reporter about what it meant to beat Southeastern Louisiana, Davalos took a breath and then spoke about the resolve of his team.
"These guys are just so resilient and I think it's because they've been through so much together that they don't ever think they're going to be out of a game," Davalos said. "I'd like [this win] to be a little bit easier, but in the postseason, you have to earn it."
Davalos' squad did exactly that Wednesday night. The Bobcats finally delivered for a full 40 minutes in the Southland Conference Tournament.
Not only did it advance Texas State into the semifinals for the first time since 2003, it got a two-year weight off its back. In their last two trips to the Merrell Center in Katy, the Bobcats choked away double-digit leads in losses to Nicholls State (2009) and Southeastern Louisiana (2010).
Texas State didn't let another disappointment happen again as it held the Lions to eight points in the final six minutes. The Bobcats recorded four stops (two steals), grabbed three defensive rebounds and went six-for-six from the free-throw line during that span.
After a 22-hour break, Texas State is back on the court Thursday night at 8:30 p.m. against McNeese State. The Bobcats lost to the Cowboys earlier this season, 97-92, but were without Cameron Johnson, who played one of his best, if not the best, defensive games of the season Wednesday night.
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