For the second game in a row, Lydia Gonzales scored a career high 25 points to lead Sam Houston State in a 94-57 Southland Conference women's basketball loss to Northwestern State Thursday night.
Tena Matthews, one of the top scorers in the Southland, paced Northwestern State with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The Demons shot 54.9 percent from the floor, hitting 39-of-71, and outrebounded the Bearkats 48-40. Northwestern State outscored Sam Houston 52-30 inside the paint and tallied 25 points off the Bearkats' 21 turnovers.
Gonzales, the league's second leading rebounder, pulled down 10 boards, also her second game in a row in double figures rebounding. Britney Harris added eight points, Whitney Smith scored seven, and LaToya Bennett posted six points.
Sam Houston led three times early at 2-0, 4-2, and 6-4, but the Demons went on a 19-3 run for a 23-9 lead to take control of the game. Northwestern State eventually built a 48-22 lead at intermission.
A tough Demon defense limited the Bearkats to 32.9 percent shooting as Sam Houston hit 23-of-70. The Bearkats drop to 1-22 for the season and 0-10 in Southland Conference play.
After playing four of their last five games on the road, Sam Houston State returns home to Johnson Coliseum Saturday for a 3 p.m. contest with Central Arkansas.
