Three days after bullying Texas-San Antonio in front of the largest home crowd in Strahan Coliseum this season, Texas State struggled to find the net against Texas-Arlington. The Bobcats shot 35 percent from the field and 56 percent from the free-throw line in their 82-78 loss Saturday afternoon.
Texas State and the Mavs were tied at 37 at halftime, but the Bobcats were unable to adjust to the slow pace of the game in the second half. It turned into a free-throw shooting contest in the second half as the referees' whistles were more prevalent than dribbling basketballs.
Both teams combined for 33 fouls after halftime and 51 attempted free throws. Texas State went 13-for-24 from the free-throw line, while UTA converted 22 of its 27 attempts.
The Bobcats brought it within 80-78 with 9.2 seconds left, but were forced to foul on the ensuing inbound pass. Mavericks forward Tommy Moffitt knocked down both free throws to ice the game.
Player of the Game: I'd like to give it to Ryan White with his 14-point, 10-assist and 5-rebound performance, but his 3-for-15 outing from the floor makes me reconsider. Cameron Johnson had another double-double (21 points, 11 rebounds), but missed seven free throws. So after perusing the stats once again, UTA senior guard Marquez Haynes earns the prize with his 21-point, 5-assist afternoon.
Trend of the Game: Texas State just couldn't make a basket. The Bobcats missed 42 shots from the field and 20 from the free-throw line.
Quotables
Texas State head coach Doug Davalos on his team's performance: "It came down to who could finish plays. We couldn’t finish enough plays, whether it be from the free-throw line or the and-one opportunities we got or the open looks we got. We couldn’t knock them down."
Davalos on how his team needs to respond: “How do we respond, (expletive), the whole league’s playing like this. You can’t get too high or low on this conference schedule because you’ve got so many games to play and we did a great job to put ourselves in a position where it’s not must-win mode, but it’s disappointing because we had an opportunity to step on a team’s throat and we didn’t do it.”
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Friday, January 29, 2010
College Football: Rivas explains his departure
I tracked down former Texas State wide receiver Mishak Rivas this afternoon and asked him about his sudden exodus from the program.
Q: Why did you leave Texas State?
A: It was a decision that I had to make on my own. I wasn't too happy at Texas State and thought I could offer a lot more to the team than I did.
Q: How long did it take you to make your decision?
A: I began thinking about it near the end of last season. Once the season ended, I thought some more about it and let my family know. They were supportive throughout the whole decision.
Q: How were classes going for you at Texas State?
A: There was a lot of outside stress, so I fell behind in a few of my classes. It was tough for me to get them back to where they needed to be. (NOTE: Rivas' father is in Iraq right now fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He stopped by several of my live chats and mentioned that was one of the only ways he could check up on his son's progress during the season.)
Q: What percentage of you leaving had to do with; playing time, being closer to your family and finally grades?
A: I can't really put a percentage on it, but I'd have to say it's more of the first two than the third.
Q: Did former co-offensive coordinator Travis Bush leaving have any impact in your decision?
A: No. I found out he left after I had left. Actually, Coach Bush had been talking to me about involving me more in the offense next year.
Q: How so?
A: He wanted to put me in the backfield a bit more and use me a little at running back. We didn't know if or how fast Karrington Bush would recover, so he wanted a guy with some speed in the backfield.
Q: So your decision to leave was based off a lack of playing time in 2009 and not next year?
A: Yes. I felt that I could have helped them a lot more last year, but they cut my playing time after I was injured. I understood that, but once I was ready to go, they still kept me out. It upset me a little bit.
Q: So what do you have planned for the future?
A: Right now, I'm going to take some time off from school and spend time at home. I'm going to enroll at Texas A&M-Kingsville next year and hopefully play football.
Q: Why did you leave Texas State?
A: It was a decision that I had to make on my own. I wasn't too happy at Texas State and thought I could offer a lot more to the team than I did.
Q: How long did it take you to make your decision?
A: I began thinking about it near the end of last season. Once the season ended, I thought some more about it and let my family know. They were supportive throughout the whole decision.
Q: How were classes going for you at Texas State?
A: There was a lot of outside stress, so I fell behind in a few of my classes. It was tough for me to get them back to where they needed to be. (NOTE: Rivas' father is in Iraq right now fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. He stopped by several of my live chats and mentioned that was one of the only ways he could check up on his son's progress during the season.)
Q: What percentage of you leaving had to do with; playing time, being closer to your family and finally grades?
A: I can't really put a percentage on it, but I'd have to say it's more of the first two than the third.
Q: Did former co-offensive coordinator Travis Bush leaving have any impact in your decision?
A: No. I found out he left after I had left. Actually, Coach Bush had been talking to me about involving me more in the offense next year.
Q: How so?
A: He wanted to put me in the backfield a bit more and use me a little at running back. We didn't know if or how fast Karrington Bush would recover, so he wanted a guy with some speed in the backfield.
Q: So your decision to leave was based off a lack of playing time in 2009 and not next year?
A: Yes. I felt that I could have helped them a lot more last year, but they cut my playing time after I was injured. I understood that, but once I was ready to go, they still kept me out. It upset me a little bit.
Q: So what do you have planned for the future?
A: Right now, I'm going to take some time off from school and spend time at home. I'm going to enroll at Texas A&M-Kingsville next year and hopefully play football.
College Football: Some more recruiting news
- I'm trying to lock down if Clear Springs WR Deche' Milburn and Aledo DE Cy Wilson are going to sign National Letters of Intent with Texas State on Wednesday.
- Milburn is a three-star recruit according to Rivals.com. He caught 81 passes for 1,344 yards (16 TDs) in 2009 for the Chargers.
- Milburn is also being recruited by Arizona, Colorado, Nebraska and Oregon.
- A source close to his recruitment said Texas State is high on Milburn's list.
- Wilson, who isn't listed on Rivals.com, is a 6-foot, 2-inch defensive end. He registered 123 tackles last season, including four double-digit tackle games. Wilson had a sack in the UIL Class 4A Division II championship game.
- Wilson is also being recruited by UTEP and Oklahoma State.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
College Basketball: Recapping Wednesday's 76-62 win
Texas State beat up Texas-San Antonio Wednesday night in front of 3,519 fans at Strahan Coliseum. The Bobcats made their 76-62 win look easy after shooting 56 percent from the floor (28 for 50) and 43 percent from 3-point land.
Emmanuel Bidias a Moute had a monster game for Texas State, finishing with seven points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks. The Roadrunners were no match for Moute, as he dominated UTSA forwards Terry Fields and Demarco Stepter.
Cameron Johnson had another impressive performance for the Bobcats, pouring in 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. It was the first time this season Johnson had back-to-back 20-point games.
Player of the Game: It was a two-horse race between Moute and Johnson, but my vote goes to Moute. It was his first home conference start and he didn't look nervous at all. Plus, just look at his stat line.
Trend of the Game: Texas State dominated the post against UTSA. The Bobcats had 10 points in the paint in the first six minutes, 31 seconds of the game and jumped out to a 20-6 lead. Texas State finished with 36 points in the paint.
Quotables
Moute on his game: “Offensively, I’m not trying to force anything. If I have a shot and I can feel that I can take it, I’ll take it. If it’s not the right shot for me and I can make the extra pass to one of my teammates since he has a better shot, I’ll make that extra pass. Defensively, I want to help my teammates off screens and get defensive rebounds.”
Johnson on Moute: “He’s pretty calm and cool most of the time, but when it’s game time, he turns into a completely different person. He’s a beast.”
Texas State head coach Doug Davalos on Moute: "I'm not shocked at (what he did). He's playing with so much heart that you can't imagine it. He has all the ability in the world and that's what we're getting from him. I've been waiting for him to do this and he's doing it."
Emmanuel Bidias a Moute had a monster game for Texas State, finishing with seven points, 15 rebounds, eight assists and four blocks. The Roadrunners were no match for Moute, as he dominated UTSA forwards Terry Fields and Demarco Stepter.
Cameron Johnson had another impressive performance for the Bobcats, pouring in 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. It was the first time this season Johnson had back-to-back 20-point games.
Player of the Game: It was a two-horse race between Moute and Johnson, but my vote goes to Moute. It was his first home conference start and he didn't look nervous at all. Plus, just look at his stat line.
Trend of the Game: Texas State dominated the post against UTSA. The Bobcats had 10 points in the paint in the first six minutes, 31 seconds of the game and jumped out to a 20-6 lead. Texas State finished with 36 points in the paint.
Quotables
Moute on his game: “Offensively, I’m not trying to force anything. If I have a shot and I can feel that I can take it, I’ll take it. If it’s not the right shot for me and I can make the extra pass to one of my teammates since he has a better shot, I’ll make that extra pass. Defensively, I want to help my teammates off screens and get defensive rebounds.”
Johnson on Moute: “He’s pretty calm and cool most of the time, but when it’s game time, he turns into a completely different person. He’s a beast.”
Texas State head coach Doug Davalos on Moute: "I'm not shocked at (what he did). He's playing with so much heart that you can't imagine it. He has all the ability in the world and that's what we're getting from him. I've been waiting for him to do this and he's doing it."
College Football: More on Rivas
- Just got off the phone with Texas A&M-Kingsville head coach Bo Atterberry
- Atterberry informed me that Rivas had contacted the school in December. The Javelinas then sent a release to Texas State requesting information about the sophomore wide receiver.
- Atterberry told me, "We heard through the grapevine that he wasn't happy and one of my assistants talked to him. There wasn't much communication between us and him other than that."
- Rivas isn't enrolled at TAMUK, nor does he have a full scholarship offer.
- Atterberry said, "I'm under the impression that he went home and got a job."
College Football: Rivas leaves State (with analysis)
Texas State was hit with another departure from its football program as Mishak Rivas decided not to return to the team. Rivas pulled out of the school before the start of the spring semester and will look to transfer to Texas A&M-Kingsville.
In a response to a friend on his Facebook page, Rivas said about Texas State, "Im dun there goin to kingsville in da fall."
Rivas caught 26 passes in 2009 for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He ended his career with the Bobcats after reeling in 66 catches for 901 yards and seven touchdowns.
The sophomore wide receiver was hampered by injuries in 2009. Rivas missed two games and played sparingly in several others.
ANALYSIS
Rivas' departure hurts Texas State, not only on offense, but on special teams. He was one of the Bobcats' only natural kick returners and had the opportunity to break one each time because of his speed. Rivas returned 22 kicks in 2009 for 509 yards, including a 56-yard return against Southeastern Louisiana.
Texas State also now lacks a true home-run threat. Every time Rivas was on the field, opponents had to respect his speed and ability. Defensive backs needed to play deeper into their zones, which allowed former Bobcats quarterback Bradley George to go underneath to his other receivers (Da'Marcus Griggs, Daren Dillard, Alvaro Garcia and Darius Bolden).
Look for Cedric Alexander to slide into Rivas' spot both on kick returns and in the slot.
In a response to a friend on his Facebook page, Rivas said about Texas State, "Im dun there goin to kingsville in da fall."
Rivas caught 26 passes in 2009 for 276 yards and four touchdowns. He ended his career with the Bobcats after reeling in 66 catches for 901 yards and seven touchdowns.
The sophomore wide receiver was hampered by injuries in 2009. Rivas missed two games and played sparingly in several others.
ANALYSIS
Rivas' departure hurts Texas State, not only on offense, but on special teams. He was one of the Bobcats' only natural kick returners and had the opportunity to break one each time because of his speed. Rivas returned 22 kicks in 2009 for 509 yards, including a 56-yard return against Southeastern Louisiana.
Texas State also now lacks a true home-run threat. Every time Rivas was on the field, opponents had to respect his speed and ability. Defensive backs needed to play deeper into their zones, which allowed former Bobcats quarterback Bradley George to go underneath to his other receivers (Da'Marcus Griggs, Daren Dillard, Alvaro Garcia and Darius Bolden).
Look for Cedric Alexander to slide into Rivas' spot both on kick returns and in the slot.
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