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Sun Belt Conference Championship

– A 24-5 run that lasted from late in the first quarter through the entirety of the second quarter and a 15-7 scoring stretch in the third quarter proved to be the difference as Texas State defeated Arkansas State 63-43 Thursday afternoon in Sun Belt women's basketball action at Strahan Coliseum.Texas State, winners of six of its last seven, improved to 12-10 overall and 7-4 in Sun Belt play with the victory.paced the Bobcats' on the offensive end of the floor with 19 points on 8 of 15 shooting, including two 3-pointers.also reached double-figures for the second straight game with her 11 on five buckets and a free throw.reached double-figures in the rebounds column with 10, marking her fifth double-digit rebounding game of the season.Texas State finished the contest shooting 44.6 percent (25 of 56) from the field. The Bobcats also held a slight 36-35 edge on the boards, outscored the Red Wolves 28-18 in the paint and 22-15 in second-chance points.Arkansas State (5-19, 3-9 Sun Belt) was led by Tahlon Hopkins, Brittany Fowler, Dominique Oliver and Lauren Bradshaw with eight points each. The Red Wolves closed the contest shooting 31.4 percent (16 of 51) overall, including a 1 of 11 clip in the fourth quarter.Arkansas State led 17-12 through one quarter opening the game making 7 of 12 shot attempts (58.3 percent). Texas State shot 36.4 percent in the period, connecting on just four of its 11 attempts. The Red Wolves took a 17-8 lead after a 7-0 run was capped by Payton Tennison's 3-pointer from the right wing at the 1:58 mark. Texas State answered with final five points of the quarter asconverted two at the free-throw line and Peoples connected on a baseline jumper.Texas State continued its momentum and scoring streak into the second quarter, scoring the stanza's first 11 points to take a 23-17 lead. The run featured points from four different Bobcats, including's team-leading 46th triple of the season. Arkansas State answered with five straight points to close the Bobcats lead to 23-22 with 2:55 to go before the half. Texas State would let the visitors get no closer as the Bobcats closed the half with a 10-0 run to take a 33-22 lead into the intermission.Arkansas State's Hopkins, Ogo Obinabo and Bradshaw each scored to start the third quarter, drawing the Red Wolves to with five of the Bobcats at 33-28. However, the next four minutes turned into the Deer and Peoples show as the duo matched each other shot for shot during a 13-8 Texas State scoring streak that left the Bobcats up 46-35 with 3:45 to go in the quarter. Neither team would score for the next three minutes until Leavitt went coast-to-coast for a layup after a steal, giving Texas State a 48-35 advantage with three quarters complete.Texas State, which boasts the top-ranked defense in Sun Belt play, limited the Red Wolves to only eight fourth-quarter points (six at the free-throw line), while scoring 15 of its own. The Bobcats led by as many as 24 during the quarter as TXST counted its third conference win by 20-plus points with a 63-43 margin.• Texas State continues its two-game homestand on Saturday against Little Rock. The Bobcats and Trojans are slated for a 2 p.m. opening tip in the first game of a mixed doubleheader with the men's program (4:30 p.m. tipoff vs. Little Rock). The contest will serve as the Bobcats' Play 4Kay breast cancer awareness game in support of the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. Fans are encouraged to wear -pink. Donations to the Kay Yow Cancer Fund can be made here: https://support.kayyow.com/team/103586 • The 2017 Sun Belt Conference Men's and Women's Basketball Championships are scheduled for a week of March Madness in the Big Easy. New Orleans will once again be home to the two championships ­that will take place at Lakefront Arena from March 7-12 and ticket books can now be purchased from the Texas State ticket office. For more information, visit the Sun Belt Conference's championship central websites - Men's Championship Women's Championship – and be sure to follow the @FunBelt on social media - @SunBelt