SAN MARCOS, Texas – Texas State opened the game on an 11-2 run and led by double digits for over 32 minutes as the Bobcats cruised to a 73-55 win over ULM Tuesday night at Strahan Arena.
 
"They were the more physical team," ULM head coach Keith Richard said. "It bothers us. The teams in this league that have physical, athletic guards and long fours and fives bother us at times. I think our guys were a little bit in shell shock because of the physicality."
 
The victory moved Texas State (13-17 overall, 6-11 Sun Belt Conference) into a tie for 11th place in the Sun Belt Conference with ULM (11-17, 6-11), but the Bobcats have the tiebreaker on the Warhawks after sweeping the regular season series with a 67-54 win in Monroe on Jan. 13.
 
The two teams are just one-half game behind South Alabama and Georgia Southern for ninth place, with the other six midweek SBC contests being played on Wednesday. The top 10 teams in the final regular season standings receive a first-round bye in next week's SBC Championship in Pensacola, Florida. ULM meets South Alabama in Mobile on Friday in the regular season finale.
 
"This thing is still coming down to Friday," Richard said. I think it's pretty well known that if we win, we'll play next Thursday, and if we lose, we'll play on Tuesday. We'll regroup tomorrow and head over to Mobile Thursday and give it our best effort on Friday."
 
The Bobcats scored on five of their first six possessions to go ahead 11-2 on a jumper by Brandon Love with 15:35 left. ULM cut the deficit to seven twice, the last on a layup by Tyreke Locure at 13-6 with 13:32 to go before halftime. Dontae Horne hit a 3-pointer for Texas State to extend the lead to 10, 16-6, at the 12:32 mark. Texas State never led by less than 10 the rest of the night.
 
Texas State led by 17, 29-12, with 6:29 left in the first half. ULM steadily fought back, getting within 10 again, 33-23, on a fastbreak layup by Jerry Ngopot with 1:49 to go in the half. Out of a Bobcat timeout, Texas State went on a quick 8-0 run, getting a four-point play from Coleton Benson, a dunk from Davion Sykes and two free throws by Sykes, to lead 41-23. Locure knocked down a layup at the halftime buzzer to cut the gap to 16 at the half, 41-25.
 
ULM held Texas State scoreless for the first 4:37 of the second half but mustered just four points in the stretch on a layup and two free throws by Jalen Bolden. The Bobcats quickly resumed their 16-point lead on a jumper by Horne with 13:42 left. The lead hit 20 for the first time at 61-41 on Christian Turner's fastbreak layup with 8:54 to play. Texas State led by as much as 22 at 66-44 and again at 73-51.
 
Locure led ULM with 13 points while Bolden added 12 points. Jordan Mason picked up 13 points for Texas State, while Joshua O'Garro tallied 11 points and Davion Sykes had 10 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double.
 
Texas State shot 53% (26-of-49) from the field, 47% (7-of-15) from the 3-point line and 93% (14-of-15) from the free throw line. ULM shot just 30% (17-of-56) from the field, 19% (3-of-16) from 3-point range and 78% (18-of-23) at the free throw line. The Bobcats outrebounded the Warhawks, 33-30. ULM had 14 offensive rebounds in the loss.
 
ULM concludes the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday at South Alabama