Kats come home hoping to stop slide

Sports

Related Photos

Sam Houston senior Marcus James is one of four Bearkats who are averaging double-digit scoring in Southland Conference games this season. The Bearkats are struggling in conference play, losing several close games and sitting in fifth place in the West Division at 2-5. Tonight, SHSU will try and hang a loss on a McNeese State squad that is tied for the lead in the East Division. D.J. Shafer

Discussion

January 31, 2012

SHSU women tangle with Cowgirls in showdown of Southland’s best

Anonymous The Huntsville Item The Huntsville Item Tue Jan 31, 2012, 11:24 PM CST

HUNTSVILLE — The Bearkats badly need a win. Tonight at 7, Sam Houston State’s men’s basketball team returns home to Johnson Coliseum seeking to end a three-game losing streak when they play host to the McNeese State Cowboys.

The Bearkats have dropped tight one-point decisions to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (50-49) and Stephen F. Austin (67-66 in overtime). SHSU also lost to UTSA 78-66 in San Antonio last Saturday.

Sam Houston stands 2-5 in Southland Conference play and 8-13 for the season.

With a 5-2 mark, the Cowboys come to Huntsville tied for first place in the Southland’s West Division. McNeese State stands 9-10 for the season.

McNeese State leads the all-time men’s basketball series with Sam Houston State 35-26. The Cowboys defeated the Bearkats 73-63 last year in Lake Charles, La., as McNeese snapped a four-game winning streak by the Kats in the series.

Patrick Richard, a 6-4 senior forward who leads the Southland Conference in scoring this season with 17.4 points per game, leads the Cowboy attack. Jeremie Mitchell, a 6-3 senior guard, also is scoring in double figures with 11.5 per contest.

Konner Tucker, a 6-4 junior guard, leads Sam Houston with 11.8 points per game. Tucker scored 20 points in last week’s overtime loss to SFA in Nacogdoches.

Steven Werner and DeMarcus Gatlin also are averaging in double figures for the Bearkats. Werner, a 6-7 junior transfer, scored 27 points at UTSA on Saturday to up his season average to 10.9 points per game. Gatlin, a 6-4 sophomore guard, is producing 10.5 points per game.

Marcus James, a 6-7 senior forward, is averaging 9.5 points for the year but is in double figures in Southland Conference action with a 10-point scoring average. James leads the Bearkats under the boards with 6.9 rebounds per contest.

Bearkat women to take big test tonight in Lake Charles

In a game that could be a preview of the Southland Conference postseason tournament championship final in Katy in March, the league’s two division leaders meet head-on tonight in Lake Charles, La.

Sam Houston stands atop the West Division with a 5-2 record in league play. The Bearkat women are 10-8 this season. McNeese State (16-5) is tied for first in the East with Central Arkansas, both with 6-1 marks.

McNeese State has won seven of its last eight games and has two players averaging in double figures with twins Ashlyn Baggett and Caitlyn Baggett scoring 15.6 and 14.2 points per game, respectively. Ashlyn ranks third in the Southland Conference in scoring. Caitlyn leads the league in 3-point shooting.

Britni Martin leads the Bearkats, averaging 16.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists. The junior from Conroe has posted 14 double-figure scoring performances, including a season-best of 30 points last week against Stephen F. Austin.

Junior forward Sequeena Thomas is Sam Houston’s other potent offensive weapon. Thomas is averaging 14.0 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season. Thomas has produced both double figure points and rebounds in 10 games this season, including each of the past four Southland Conference games.

Martin scored 17 points and Thomas added 16 points and 13 rebounds as Sam Houston State defeated UTSA 67-55 in the Kats’ last outing Saturday at Johnson Coliseum.

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

Kats come home hoping to stop slide

SHSU women tangle with Cowgirls in showdown of Southland’s best

Site Map

Contact Us