By Cody Stark
HOUSTON — Sam Houston State’s game at Texas Southern had all the makings of an upset.
The Bearkats were off to an 8-0 start and the Tigers had lost six straight road games and were playing at home for the first time this season. Also, there was the fact the SHSU players had to deal with finals this week and had to practice at the Health & Kinesiology Building because Johnson Coliseum was off limits for graduation.
To make matters worse, the Bearkats couldn’t buy a bucket to start the game (0-for-5 in the first six minutes) and had some frustrating calls go the other way.
About the only thing missing Saturday at the H&PE; Arena was a large, hostile crowd.
Some way, the Bearkats found a way to pull out a nail-biting 54-51 victory over a scrappy Texas Southern squad to stay unbeaten at 9-0 on the season.
“It was a fight and you have to give Texas Southern a lot of credit because they played well,” SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said. “Outside of beating (Texas A&M;) Corpus (Christi) in their season opener, they had lost six in a row to Kentucky, Texas, UTEP, TCU and (Texas-Arlington) but it was a demanding schedule.
“Things didn’t go well early, but our guys hung in there and found a way to win.”
Just like the first half, the Bearkats stumbled out of the gate to begin the second, clinging to a three-point lead at 26-23.
The Tigers (1-7) opened the final period with a 6-0 run thanks to a four-point play by guard Sollie Norwood to go up 29-26. SHSU junior DeLuis Ramirez tied the game at 31 with a bank shot off the glass, but again Texas Southern responded with another 3-pointer to push its lead to three with 15:30 left in the game.
Then something began to click for Sam Houston. Senior Ryan Bright sparked a 6-0 run for the Kats with a couple of layins off the glass to put SHSU up for good at 38-34.
The biggest things that helped the Bearkats shake off a 39 percent shooting night was defense and rebounding — two areas that have carried this team to its best start since 1973. SHSU held the Tigers to 37 percent from the field and won the battle on the glass 44-28.
“It was a frustrating game from many standpoints,” said Bright, who had 13 points to go along with a career-high 17 boards (five on the offensive end). “We couldn’t get the ball in the hole and some calls weren’t going our way, which is going to happen. It was just a combination of things, and I think (this game) will help us in the end.”
Sam Houston led by as many as eight points when a layup by senior guard Shamir McDaniel made it 48-40 with eight minutes to go.
Still, Texas Southern wouldn’t go away and managed to come up with some shots that never allowed the Bearkats to open up the game. The biggest came with SHSU up 52-46 and 2:37 on the clock when guard Matthew Miller banked in a shot, drew contact and converted the three-point opportunity to cut it to three.
The Kats had a chance to put it away when McDaniel went to the line with 22 clicks left for a one-and-one situation with SHSU still up 52-49. One free throw would have made it a two-possession game, but the normally reliable McDaniel missed the front end.
The Tigers came down and had a good look at the potential game-tying 3, but Norwood’s shot rimmed out. It wasn’t until senior guard Jeremy Thomas knocked down a pair of clutch free throws with five seconds left that the Bearkat fans in attendance were able to let out a sigh of relief.
“Everybody was gasping for air in the stands and on the bench when my free throws went through,” said Thomas, who finished with 10 points. “Texas Southern played such a good game. They were bringing it at us and bringing it at us. They had us on our heels, but we kept pushing and fighting. Finally, we were able to hold them off.”
Ramirez had another solid outing for the Bearkats. Despite a missed free throw on the front end of a one-and-one with two minutes left in the game, he finished with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
McDaniel chipped in eight points and two steals, while sophomore Ashton Mitchell had five points, three assists and four boards in the win.
Miller led all scorers with 19 points, and Norwood finished with 14. Both played all 40 minutes for Texas Southern in the loss.
“We have a mentally tough group,” Marlin added. “They work hard and that is one of the reasons we have been successful. Fortunately, we were able to get that lead in the second half and led the whole time. We got some big plays and hustled to the ball.
“We didn’t execute the way we wanted, but it was a long week and we are going to enjoy this one.”
The Bearkats return to Johnson Coliseum on Thursday when they host Cal-Irvine at 7 p.m.
