Cody Stark
The Sam Houston State men’s basketball squad knows the definition of the word team, and once again they used it to notch another win.
Nine Bearkats penciled their name in the scoring column Saturday, as SHSU (14-5 overall, 5-2 in Southland Conference play) rolled to a 91-81 victory over Texas-Arlington (11-9, 4-3) at Johnson Coliseum.
It marked the fifth straight win for the Kats, who are currently tied with Lamar for second place in the SLC. Chris Jordan led the way with a game-high 24-points, including a 10-for-11 night at the free-throw line. Teammates Jejuan Plair and Aaron Wade contributed 18 and 14 points each.
The Bearkat bench outscored the Mavericks 26-16.
“We stepped up and hit some shots when we needed them, right down the line,” SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said. “Our guys continue to contribute off the bench. It was a total team effort, and we have been getting that every night. That’s what I like about our group. They play hard and no one cares who gets the credit.”
The Kats took a 12-point advantage into the half when Plair knocked down a 3-pointer as time expired.
SHSU led by as many as 19 at 57-38 with just under 15 minutes left in the game, but UTA did not go quietly. The Mavericks went on a 12-2 run to cut the lead to nine over the next three minutes, thanks to the play of guard Jarrett Howell.
The Bearkats were able to push the lead back to double digits, until UTA went on another run to get to with five at 78-73 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Kenneth Henderson with 1:31 left.
“We knew at halftime they would come out and make a run. College basketball is a game of spurts, and we were hoping it would come later than it did,” Marlin said. “There for about 10 minutes we became less aggressive and turned the ball over. They hit some shots and things were going right for them as they got it down to a two possession game. We were able to push it back up and I’m proud of our guys for finishing the game.”
The Mavericks had to start fouling, and SHSU was clutch from the line late in the game, going 13-of-14 in the final minute and a half. Jordan was 8-of-8 during that stretch, and Kelvin Williams and Jeremy Thomas were also perfect.
For the game, the Bearkats hit 29-of-39, or 74 percent, from the free-throw line, including 28-of-35 in the second half.
“We caused a lot of (the free throw shooting) because we started intentionally fouling guys that we thought would miss from the free throw line,” UTA head coach Eddie McCarter said. “They just played with a lot more intensity that we did. We made a run in the second half, but it was just too much for us to come back from.”
The Mavericks took an early 4-3 lead in the game, but Wade hit a 3 to give the Bearkats the lead at the 18-minute mark. SHSU never relinquished the advantage the rest of the game.
Jordan, Wade, Plair and Reggie Rawlins sparked the SHSU offense in the first half by combining for 37 points. The Kats also did a good job making the Mavericks pay for six first-half turnovers, converting them into 12 points.
SHSU also had another hot shooting night, going 28-of-54, or 52 percent, from the floor.
“I think we were due for a good game,” Plair said. “It seems like there was a different vibe around the locker room. We had some good practices and were really confident coming into this game. We are playing with a lot of confidence and anytime you can string together wins like we have, everybody plays better.”
Rawlins and Williams finished the game with nine points, and Shamir McDaniel and Jordan led the Kats with seven rebounds.
Howell was the Mavs’ high man with 23 points, and Henderson added 14. The Bearkats did a good job shutting down UTA’s second-leading scorer Steven Thomas, holding him to 10 points.
SHSU travel to Natchitoches, La., for a potential first-place showdown with Northwestern State on Thursday.
The Demons are currently atop the SLC standings with a 6-1 record. Their lone SLC loss came at the hands of the Bearkats at Johnson Coliseum which sparked SHSU’s five-game winning streak.
