Sam Houston hosts Texas State-San Marcos
2/29/2008 1:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
After a Northwestern State loss to Nicholls State Thursday, Sam Houston State has moved into a position where the Bearkats can clinch the number three seed in the Southland post-season tournament by winning their final three games.
The first of those three contests is Saturday at 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum where the Bearkats will be seeking vengence for one of their five conference losses.
Texas State-San Marcos defeated Sam Houston 96-93 in overtime in San Marcos on Feb. 2. Brent Benson scored 24 points, going 6-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc to lead the Bobcats.
Tickets are available for the Sam Houston vs. Texas State-San Marcos game at the SHSU box office and on the internet. The game will be carried live on KSAM 101.7 FM.
Preceding the men's game, the Sam Houston State women will take on the Bobcats at 4:30 p.m.
Following Saturday's contest, Sam Houston will complete the regular season with a home matchup with UTSA Wednesday, March 5, and on the road at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday, March 8.
Sam Houston State stands 20-6 for the season and 8-5 in Southland play. Texas State-San Marcos is 12-15 and 5-9 in league action.
The Bobcats lead the all-time series with Sam Houston 90 victories to 75. The loss at Texas State-San Marcos earlier this year ended a four-game winning streak for the Bearkats against the Bobcats.
Shamir McDaniel and Ryan Bright lead the Bearkats in scoring with 12.5 and 11.3 averages, respectively. Bright ranks fifth in NCAA Division I men's basketball with an 11.3 average.
Sam Houston's 79-65 victory over Texas-Arlington Wednesday gave the Bearkats their third consective 20-victory season - a school first. SHSU went 22-9 in 2006 and 21-10 in 2007.
Sam Houston has won 20 or more games in one season 13 times. Five of those 13 years, Bob Marlin was the Kats' head coach.
The highest annual victory total was 28 in 1973. That team went 28-1, winning 27 in a row before falling in the second round of the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City.
Sam Houston has held opponents to under 40 percent shooting in 15 contests, winning all 15 of those games. But when Bearkat foes hit better than 40 percent from the field, Sam Houston stands 1-6.
In the Bearkats' 16 NCAA Division I victories, they have limited opponents to .357 shooting while in SHSU's six losses, the opponents have hit .447 from the field,.
Sam Houston State has held opponents to less than 60 points 16 times this year, winning all 16 contests. The Bearkats are 4-6 in games in which its opponents have score more than 60 points.
In Sam Houston's NCAA Division I victories, the Bearkats have limited opponents to 56.9 points. In the Kats' five losses, opponents have scored 81.0 points per game.
Sam Houston State is 12-2 at home in Johnson Coliseum and 8-4 on the road this season. During Bob Marlin's 10 seasons as head coach, the Bearkats are 108-24 at home in Johnson Coliseum
The Bearkats' four seniors (Ryan Bright, Shamir McDaniel, Jeremy Thomas, and John Gardiner) are 50-8 at Johnson Coliseum and 30-28 on the road the past four years.
