Men's basketball meets Texas College Monday at 7 p.m.
11/15/2009 6:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
By Gene Schallenberg, Huntsville Item
The Sam Houston State men's basketball team plays host to Texas College in the Bearkats' second regular season game Monday at 7 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.
The Kats opened their 2009-10 schedule with a 73-42 victory over LeTourneau Saturday night.
Texas College brings a 3-1 record into the contest. The Steers defeated Xavier of New Orleans 67-65 in overtime Saturday. Top scorers for Texas College were Trey Manning with 19 points and Jacobie Bias with 17.
Manning swished a 19-footer at the buzzer to give Texas College the victory. The Steers were 6-of-6 from the line in overtime and rallied from a 61-57 deficit in the final 2:35. Manning also had nine rebounds and six assists.
Sam Houston State shot 44.6 percent from the floor and 22.7 from beyond the arc in the win over LeTourneau. But accuracy is one of the things the Bearkats hope to improve on when they welcome the Steers to Johnson Coliseum today.
"This time of the year, the defense is ahead of the offense," SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said Sunday. "We didn't shoot the ball well last night, but we had enough points to win."
From their previous meeting last season, which resulted in an 89-54 Sam Houston State victory, the Bearkats (1-0) know that Texas College will be aiming to play with a fast tempo.
"They're going to play fast," Marlin said. "They've pressed in the past and they've played zone. They've shot the ball quick. It's a lot of penetration and quick shots. They want to play up and down the floor, though. They want the game going at a fast pace. The tempo should be higher than what it was on Saturday."
The Bearkats expect to have their hands full.
Small forward Jacobie Bias, a versatile 6-4 junior, and Manning will be looking to find a weakness in Sam Houston State's defense, which held LeTourneau to 20 percent shooting on Saturday.
"Like (Dale) Vanwright with LeTourneau, (Jacobie) Bias is a good player for Texas College, as well as Tre Manning. You've got two guys that do a majority of their shooting and scoring. We have a little bit of a size advantage, but not as much as we had against LeTourneau.
"They're both good players. Bias is a small forward. He can shoot the ball. Bias is a good shooter. He's a good one-on-one (player). He's a good athlete. He's had some good games for them already this year.
"Manning is the guy that really makes their offense go," Marlin said. "He's a point guard and he's an exciting player. He's quick, he pushes the ball. He's a tough guard for us. We'll have to keep him in front of us tomorrow night."
Senior guard Corey Allmond, a preseason All-Southland Conference first team pick, led the Bearkats in their victory over LeTourneau. Allmond scored 15 points.
Junior forward Josten Crow led the Bearkats with nine boards as Sam Houston dominated the smaller Yellow Jackets inside. The Kats scored 42 points in the paint while holding LeTourneau to 10. Junior college transfer Gilberto Clavell, who has replaced All-Southland Conference Barkley Falkner at post this season, scored 11 points and pulled down five rebounds.
Sam Houston's game with Texas College will be streamed live for free on Bearkat Vision.
Following Monday night's game, Sam Houston takes to the road for the Cancun Classic. The Bearkats will play at Kentucky on Thursday night and at Cleveland State Saturday. Sam Houston will play two games in Cancun, Mexico, during Thanksgiving week.
Attending Tuesday's 12 noon matchup with Ole Miss can help Sam Houston students earn a free T-Shirt. The first 500 SHSU students to attend any combination of three home men's or women's basketball games will win a Bearkat basketball t-shirt courtesy of Student Activities and Bearkat Athletics.
Attendees will be tracked via the BearkatOneCard. For the purposes of the promotion, the men's and women's basketball doubleheader on Monday, November 30, will count as one event only. Sam Students receive free admission to BEarkat home games on presentation of their BearkatOneCard.
Huntsville area fans can purchase tickets on-line now at www.gobearkats.com or by contacting the Sam Houston State athletic ticket office at the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
