SAN MARCOS, Texas (Interstat) — In a game defined by offensive efficiency and a decisive second-half surge, Texas State pulled away from Louisiana-Monroe for a 95-84 victory in a Sun Belt Conference men’s basketball game Saturday at Strahan Coliseum.

The contest, played before a crowd of 1,378, saw the Bobcats improve to 17-11 overall and solidify their position in the conference standings. The Warhawks, despite a heroic scoring effort from guard Lavell Brodnex, fell to 4-23.

The most important part of the game was Texas State’s overwhelming and consistent interior dominance, which ultimately broke a competitive contest open. The Bobcats outscored the Warhawks 60-36 in the paint and converted 20 points off Louisiana-Monroe turnovers compared to just 11 the other way. This inside-out control allowed Texas State to steadily expand a narrow 45-43 halftime lead into a comfortable double-digit margin for much of the final period.

Texas State forward DJ Hall, a 6-foot-7 junior from Plano, was the central figure in that dominance. He delivered a complete performance with 27 points, nine rebounds, five assists and a block in 33 minutes, consistently scoring at the rim and facilitating for teammates. His effort anchored a balanced Bobcat attack that saw five players reach double figures.

Mark Drone added 16 points for Texas State, while Robert Fields came off the bench to provide 12 points and five rebounds. Kaden Gumbs and Jalen Bolden chipped in 10 and eight points, respectively, with Gumbs dishing out five assists.

Louisiana-Monroe was carried by the prolific scoring of Brodnex. The 6-foot-5 guard from Saginaw, Michigan, poured in a game-high 31 points on 12-of-24 shooting, adding four rebounds, two blocks and a steal in 35 minutes. He attacked relentlessly, but received insufficient support against the Bobcats’ multifaceted offense.

MJ Russell contributed 14 points for the Warhawks, and Ayomide Bamisile finished with 10 points and five rebounds.

The first half was a tightly contested affair featuring 10 lead changes. Louisiana-Monroe’s offense, led by Brodnex’s 17 first-half points, kept pace with Texas State’s inside game. The Warhawks took a brief 40-38 lead after a Brodnex layup with just over three minutes remaining, but the Bobcats closed the half on a 7-3 run, capped by a DJ Hall jump shot, to take a two-point lead into the break.

Texas State seized control immediately after halftime. A 10-2 run in the first four minutes, fueled by Hall’s activity and a three-pointer from Drone, stretched the lead to 55-47. The Warhawks would get no closer than five points the rest of the way. Every time Louisiana-Monroe threatened, Texas State answered with a basket in the paint, a second-chance opportunity, or a timely three-pointer.

The Bobcats’ lead ballooned to as many as 16 points in the final minutes. A key sequence with under five minutes to play typified the game: after a Louisiana-Monroe free throw cut the deficit to 79-70, Texas State executed a perfectly thrown alley-oop from Hall to Robert Fields, followed by a Hall pull-up jumper and a driving layup from Drone to push the lead to 85-70, effectively sealing the outcome.

Texas State’s offense was ruthlessly efficient, shooting 55.4 percent from the field for the game. They also out-rebounded the Warhawks 38-28 and tallied 12 fast-break points to Louisiana-Monroe’s nine.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Texas State, which also defeated Louisiana-Monroe 84-79 on Jan. 3. The Bobcats have now won four of their last five games. Louisiana-Monroe has lost three straight and 10 of its last 11.

Texas State next travels to face South Alabama on Thursday. Louisiana-Monroe returns home to host Troy on Wednesday.