KATY ? Jeremy Thomas hit a pair of free throws at the end of regulation, and McNeese missed a chance to extend to the game to double overtime as Sam Houston State held on for a 64-62 overtime win over McNeese State on Thursday afternoon at the Merrell Center.
With the win, the Kats will move on to the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament and take on Texas-Arlington Friday night at 6 p.m.
The third-seeded Kats were able to overcome a 29 percent shooting day from the floor to pull off their first Southland Conference Tournament win away from Johnson Coliseum.
On a day when one of the Kats stars were struggling with Shamir McDaniel hitting just one of 12 shots, it was Thomas, another senior who stepped up. He was 5-of-6 from the line, including 3-of-4 in the overtime period to help lift the Kats.
He first made his impact felt in the final 30 second of regulation. With the time winding down Thomas drove to the basket and drew a foul with 16 seconds left and SHSU trailing 50-48. He stepped up and hit both free throws to tie the game.
“I am usually not a driver, I'm a shooter, but I took the ball to the basket and fortunately got the call,” Thomas said. “I didn't really even think about the shots, I just stepped to the line and made them.”
The Kats then got off to a hot start in overtime. Ashton Mitchell opened up the extra period with a 3-pointer and with 2:16 left to play, SHSU had built an 8-point lead. But McNeese quickly cut into it.
With 11 seconds remaining, Jarvis Bradley hit two free throws to cut the Bearkat lead to one. Thomas was fouled on the inbound and with six seconds left, stepped up and hit two more to extend the lead back to three.
But when John Ford attempted a desperation 3-point heave at the buzzer, Shamir McDaniel was called for a foul sending Ford to the line for three with .5 seconds remaining on the clock.
Ford, a senior and an 83 percent free-throw shooter hit the first, but missed the second and third shots. A final tip went over the backboard, sealing the victory.
“We just won a basketball game that is typical of March Madness,” SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said. “We had trouble getting the ball in the basket. We competed, got 20 offensive boards and the guys just found a way to win.”
Ryan Bright led the way for the Kats, scoring 17 points while grabbing 15 boards, including nine off the offensive glass.
The Kats took the lead twice early in the second half, but after a free throw by John Pichon, McNeese took a one-point lead with 16:40 to play and never lost it until Thomas hit the free throws to tie the game.
“We just kept chipping away at it and once overtime started we got on a roll,” Bright said. “We felt like we had the momentum going in to overtime.”
