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ULM Holds On to Defeat Texas State
Jan. 26, 2006
MONROE, La. - Despite a second straight career night from Charles Dotson, Texas State began a two-game road swing Thursday with an 80-75 loss at Louisiana-Monroe Thursday. Dotson followed up a 23-point night against Sam Houston State with a 24-point effort in Thursday's loss as the Bobcats (2-14, 0-5) remained winless in Southland Conference play. Among the junior college transfer's points were a pair of offensive rebounds on missed free throws and stick-back buckets in the final two minutes that gave the `Cats a shot to win on the road. He pulled down a carom off a missed free throw by Trevor Cook for a putback to cut ULM's lead to 74-67 with 1:42 to play. With 1:02 left, Antwoine Blanchard made the first of two free throws to cut the lead to 75-70. Dotson rebounded Blanchard's miss of the second free throw and scored to make it a one-possession game. Down 77-72 after a pair of free throws by Indian guard Lance Brasher, Cook knocked down a three-pointer with 25 seconds to play to cut ULM's lead to 77-75. At the other end, RoShon Jacobs made just one of two free throws and the Bobcats had a chance to tie. But Cook's three-point attempt from NBA range with 13 seconds to play did not fall and James Perkins' two free throws iced the win for the Indians. Jacobs scored a team-high 18 points while Perkins finished with 13, knocking down 3-of-5 three-pointers. Dotson was 12-of-18 from the field but did not get to the free throw line all night where he is 18-of-21 in Southland Conference games. He also had nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Brandon Bush added 13 points for the Bobcats while Blanchard came off the bench for 11. With the win, Louisiana-Monroe improved to 7-11 and 3-3 in Southland Conference play.
Early in the game, Texas State briefly held the lead at 11-9 on a three-pointer by Blanchard before the Indians went on a 10-3 run. ULM connected on its first six three-point attempts of the game with the final trio of threes being part of a rally that saw the Indians go up 30-19. Senior forward Gary Robinson capped the rally when he drilled his first three-point attempt of the season with 6:41 to play in the half. Louisiana-Monroe would go on to build as much as a 14-point lead at 39-25 with 1:35 to play in the half. In the final minute of the period, Texas State scored five of the half's final seven points and went to the locker room down 41-30. After Drew Meyerchick's fastbreak layup gave the Indians a 39-25 lead, Bush nailed a three-pointer at the other end of the floor. The Bobcats answered Brasher's offensive tip-in with a Dotson layup off an inside pass from Bush. After Cook scored the first points of the second half, ULM went on an 11-0 run to turn an 11-point halftime lead into a 52-32 lead less than four minutes into the period. Down by 20 points, the `Cats somehow found new life and waged a comeback that saw them dig out of a hole as quickly has they got in it. Texas State would go on an 11-0 run of their own to slice the lead down to single figures. In getting back into the game, Bush canned a three-pointer and the Bobcats got fastbreak baskets from Blanchard and a jam by Jushay Rockett. Texas State continues its road swing Saturday when the Bobcats travel to Southland Conference leader Northwestern State for a 2 p.m. game. ULM plays host to Texas-San Antonio Saturday. |
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