SAN MARCOS — Texas State men’s basketball put on a complete performance Saturday to defeat Old Dominion 81-64.
The Bobcats led wire-to-wire, scoring 42 first-half points on 50% shooting from the field. Although the offense cooled off in the second half, the defense locked in and held Old Dominion to 31 points on 26.3% shooting. Forward DJ Hall led Texas State with 24 points and six rebounds, while guard Mark Drone racked up 12 points, seven rebounds and eight assists.
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“We had some times in those games where we could’ve folded, but we fought,” Texas State head coach Terrence Johnson said.
Texas State will travel Wednesday to Statesboro, GA, to face Georgia Southern. Here are some takeaways from the Bobcats’ win over the Monarchs.
Defending without fouling
Hall started the game on a heater, making two 3-pointers and five of his first six shots for 14 points in 13 minutes of play. But he collected his second foul with 6 minutes and 57 seconds left in the half, which prevented him from racking up more stats. Guard Kaden Gumbs also picked up his second foul at the 11-minute and 44-second mark, and both had three fouls three minutes into the second half.
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Guard Franck Emmou and forward Robert Fields led Texas State’s bench with 21 points and nine rebounds, making up for Gumbs and Hall’s absence. However, even when the Bobcats’ starting guard and forward returned to the game, they were constantly picked on as the Monarchs understood that their foul trouble would limit the physicality of their defense.
Johnson said the Bobcats understand that as a freshman, Hall’s still learning how to defend without fouling.
“Unfortunately, that’s not the first time we’ve been in that position,” Johnson said. “He’s just playing one of those positions that he has a tough cover every night… Still got to work on a little bit more discipline with him.”
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Texas State Bobcats guard Mark Drone (4) puts the ball up during the first half as the Bobcats play the Texas A&M San Antonio Jaguars at Strahan Arena in San Marcos, Nov. 5, 2025.
Sara Diggins/Austin American-Statesman
On a heater
Texas State usually does not rely on the 3-pointer for its offense. According to KenPom, the Bobcats’ offense consists of 19.4% 3-pointers, which ranks 364th among Division I NCAA teams.
Against the Monarchs, the Bobcats turned into a sniper team from range, going 43.8% from beyond the arc. Hall, who was 2-of-9 from three before the game, made both of his 3-point attempts. Bolden, who hit 2-of-3 pointers against Marshall, went 2-of-4 against Old Dominion. The volume is still low; Texas State attempted 31 combined 3-pointers in its past two games, but it hit over 40% in both contests.
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While those marks might regress in future contests, Johnson said he believes the Bobcats are better than the 34% they’re shooting from distance.
“We traditionally shoot good percentages from the 3-point line — we just don’t shoot a lot of them,” Johnson said. “You’re not gonna see a 26 attempt game from us… But I think it’s sustainable for us to shoot 33-38%.”
Mark Drone, the distributor
Drone’s usually Texas State’s leading bucket-getter, but Gumbs’ foul trouble meant the guard had to take on a bigger role as a distributor. Drone recorded eight assists and only two turnovers despite playing nearly the entire game.
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Johnson said Drone has the vision to be a consistent playmaker. What the guard lacks is trust. Johnson compared him to a quarterback with a dynamic rushing ability. Instead of running for a first down, Drone has to trust that his teammates can make the play.
“I knew that by drawing attention and getting the defenders to help, it helped me create open buckets for my teammates,” Drone said.