Bearkats hoping to get back on track

Sports

Related Photos

Bearkats sophomore guard Jasmine Johnson (3) drives through the lane past a UT-Tyler defender in nonconference action earlier this season. On the heels of two losses its past three games, including a 69-67 thriller against Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston looks to get back on the winning track when the Kats host UTSA today at Johnson Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. D.J. Shafer

Discussion

January 27, 2012

SHSU women still hold half-game lead in West

Anonymous The Huntsville Item The Huntsville Item Fri Jan 27, 2012, 11:21 PM CST

HUNTSVILLE — Bearkat basketball is in a bit of a slump. The men’s team and the women’s, both.

Looking to bounce back after losses in two of their last three games, the Bearkat women host UTSA today at 2 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.

Sam Houston defeated the Roadrunners in the previous matchup for the first time since 2000, which allows the Kats (4-2 in Southland Conference play, 9-8 overall) to hold a narrow half-game lead over UTSA (3-2, 7-11), Stephen F. Austin and Texas State in the Southland Conference’s West Division.

On Jan. 7, Sam Houston beat UTSA 63-50, led by Britni Martin’s 19 points and Jasmine Johnson who added 10.

That victory represents a high point in Sam Houston’s season. It was the start of the Kats jumping out to 3-0 record in conference play before falling back to the pack in the last three games.

Martin, coming off a season-best 30-point performance in Wednesday’s 69-67 loss to SFA, is averaging 16 points, a little more than four rebounds and 3.8 assists.

Martin ranks at the top of the Southland in free-throw percentage (.821). She also stands fifth in the league in 3-point field goals (37), scoring and assists.

“It was a big confidence booster,” Martin said of the win against UTSA earlier this season. “It’s always fun to play them and now we have to play them again. They’re going to be coming back for revenge, so we’ll see.”

Junior forward Sequeena Thomas is averaging 13.9 points and 10.7 rebounds this season.

Thomas leads the Southland Conference in rebounding, ranks ninth in scoring and is tied for fifth in blocks (26) with teammate Angela Beadle.

Kamra King leads the Roadrunners with 8.9 points per game.

Cori Cooper is averaging 7.3 points per game for UTSA and posted a season high of 18 points in her last outing, a 67-53 win over Texas State on Jan. 21.

The Roadrunners, inversely, are on a roll as of late, having won three of their last four games.

Bearkat men look to recover

On the short end of three heart-breaking, down-to-the-wire losses in Southland play, the Sam Houston men’s hoops team heads to San Antonio today to take on the team that started it all for the Bearkats three weeks ago.

The Bearkats lost to UTSA 62-60 in their Jan. 8 conference opener on a last-possession shot by Kannon Barrage, fell to A&M-Corpus Christi 50-49 last Saturday and dropped a 67-66 overtime decision to Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches on Wednesday.

The Roadrunners (5-1, 13-7) come into today’s game with a four-game winning streak and victories in seven of their last eight games.

Sam Houston (2-4, 8-12) is on a two-game losing streak after wins at Nicholls and at home against Texas State.

“We’ve had some bad luck but the kids keep fighting,” Sam Houston State coach Jason Hooten said. “They fought their way back from 15 points down to take SFA into overtime Wednesday. We’ve just got to keep working to get better.”

The all-time series between the Bearkats and the Roadrunners now is tied at 21 victories apiece.

UTSA has won the last two meetings, dating back to the semifinals of the 2011 Southland Conference tournament with a 79-70 victory.

This could be the last time Sam Houston and UTSA face each other, unless the teams meet in Katy for a showdown in the Southland Conference tournament like last season.

The Roadrunners, along with Texas State and UT Arlington, are making the move to the Western Athletic Conference next season.

Konner Tucker leads the Kats in scoring with 11.5 points per game. He tallied 20 points on 50 percent shooting in the loss against the Lumberjacks on Wednesday

DeMarcus Gatlin also is averaging double figures with 10.7 points per game.

UTSA has won 37 of its last 47 in the Convocation Center. Sophomore forward Jeromie Hill was named Southland Conference Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday, after averaging 18.0 points and 7.5 rebounds and shooting 62.5 percent in victories against Northwestern State and Texas State.

Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.

Text Only

Sports

The thrill of victory ... the agony of defeat
The Bearkats knew exactly what they needed to get done and they were up to the task.
In order to reach championship day of the Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, the Kats would have to stave off elimination twice just to get to today’s final round.
The Bearkats nearly pulled it off.

May 25, 2012 2 Photos
Kats beat Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 4-3
May 25, 2012
Alive and kicking: Bearkats still in hunt at SLC baseball tourney
With the possibility of going home early from the Southland Conference Tournament and a chance of their season coming to an abrupt end, the Bearkats needed some quality starting pitching and production from their bats in the worst way.
Like he has done all year long, Sam Houston senior Justin Jackson delivered a lights-out performance on the mound and the offense made the kind of impact the Bearkats have been looking for Thursday morning.
Both elements came together at the exact right time as the Kats stayed alive in the tourney with a 7-1 victory over McNeese State in an elimination game at Bobcat Ballpark.

May 24, 2012
Bad day for Bearkats
The Bearkats’ road to the NCAA tournament just got a little bit tougher.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi broke out for four runs before top-seeded Sam Houston even stepped to the plate Wednesday afternoon, but the Kats couldn’t find a way to counter that first punch.
Sam Houston connected for eight hits, but could not get enough of those in a row to make a dent in the deficit and are now one loss away from being eliminated from the Southland Conference tournament following a 9-2 loss at the hands of the eighth-seeded Islanders on Wednesday afternoon at the Bobcat Baseball Ballpark.

May 23, 2012
Schallenberg: Time is now for Bearkats in Southland tourney
The Bearkats look to take care of business this week in the Southland Conference baseball tournament.

May 20, 2012 1 Photo
Alpha Omega Academy trio shine at state track meet
Freshman brings home four medals, including two golds

May 19, 2012
Tough night for Kats against Rice
The Bearkats had a golden opportunity to make a lasting impression for a potential at-large bid in the NCAA tournament with fifth-ranked Rice coming to town. Sam Houston’s bats couldn’t get going early enough or be able to link enough hits together against the Owls pitching staff and succumbed to a 5-0 loss in the final game of the season at Don Sanders Stadium on Tuesday night.

May 16, 2012 2 Photos
BEARKAT BASEBALL — Plenty up for grabs against fifth-ranked Rice
For several reasons, today’s game against fifth-ranked Rice is going to be a biggie for the Bearkats.

May 14, 2012 1 Photo
SHSU MEN'S BASKETBALL — Kats sign ‘winner’ from Trinity Valley
Will Bond, a 6-3 guard from Trinity Valley Community College, has signed a letter-of-intent to attend Sam Houston State University and play men’s basketball for head coach Jason Hooten.

May 14, 2012
RUNNING SHORTS: New study confirms the benefits of running
May 14, 2012
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

Related Photos

Discussion

Bearkats hoping to get back on track

SHSU women still hold half-game lead in West

Site Map

Contact Us