JONESBORO, Ark. (2/15/20) – The Arkansas State women's basketball team got off to a slow start against Texas State and was never able to fully recover in an 83-69 setback Saturday at First National Bank Arena.
 
The Red Wolves (9-15, 6-7) were led by three players scoring in double figures, including sophomore guard Jireh Washington with a team-high 15 points to go along with a team-best eight rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Kayla Williams added a season-high 14 points, and sophomore forward Trinitee Jackson tied her season-high with 11.
 
The Bobcats (10-14, 3-10) shot 48 percent from the field in comparison to the Red Wolves' .441 percentage, while also holding a slight 36-35 advantage on the boards and committing three fewer turnovers.
 
Texas State shot 62 percent in the first half as it jumped out to a 27-16 lead just over nine minutes into the contest. A-State's Williams knocked down a three for the final points of the opening period, which started a 14-6 run that pulled the Red Wolves back within 33-30 with 7:05 remaining in the second.
 
The Bobcats responded by scoring 14 of the period's last 23 points to take a 47-39 advantage into the break. They were then able to extend their lead to as much as 15 points in the third period before A-State cut its deficit back to 63-57 in the closing minute. However, a big three pointer by Texas State's Brooke Holle as time expired gave the Bobcats the momentum going into the final 10 minutes of action.
 
Texas State was able to increase its advantage to as much as 19 points twice in the fourth period, going on to claim the 14-point victory.
 
"I thought we battled pretty hard for the most part," said A-State Head Coach Matt Daniel. "We gave up a couple of key-execution plays in the first half. We scored the ball a little better than we have been as a whole, but obviously gave up too many points. We just didn't have enough against a hot team. We have a lot of room for improvement – can be better in every facet of the game."
 
While both team's shooting percentage dropped in the second half, A-State finished with a higher mark over the game's final 20 minutes. Only one point separated the team's scoring output over the second and third periods combined, but the first and fourth coupled together saw the Bobcats outscore the Red Wolves 44-31.
 
Texas State had four players score in double digits, including sophomore forward Da'Nasia Hood with a game-high 21 points.
 
Arkansas State returns to action Thursday, Feb. 20, with an 11:00 a.m. road game at South Alabama. The game will be aired live on ESPN+ while the broadcast can be heard on the EAB Red Wolves Radio Network on 95.3 The Ticket, as well as 970 AM and 96.9 FM.

For the latest on the A-State women's basketball program, follow @AStateWB on Twitter and @astatewbb on Instagram, while also liking the team's Facebook page at Facebook.com/RedWolvesWBB.