Bearkat women tackle Arkansas Tuesday
12/26/2009 9:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
After a break for Christmas, the Sam Houston women's basketball team continues its month-long series of road games when they travel to Fayetteville to challenge the University of Arkansas Razorbacks Tuesday, Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.
The contest is the fifth in a string of seven consecutive road games for the Bearkat women.
Sam Houston opened their odyssey with a 76-60 victory over Jackson State in the first round of the Rice Invitational Dec. 4 but have stumbled in their next three away contests, falling 82-62 at Rice Dec. 5, 71-64 at New Orleans Dec. 11 and 83-65 at TCU Sunday.
Sam Houston takes its Christmas break with a 3-6 record. The Bearkats other two wins also came on the road as Sam Houston defeated Centenary 74-49 and Grambling 67-59.
Arkansas stands 7-5 for the year after a loss to Southland Conference member UTSA Sunday. The Razorbacks are led by 5-9 Lyndsay Harris, who is averaging 11.2 points per game, and 5-8 Charity Ford, who is adding 11.1 points per contest.
The Hogs lead the all-time series with Sam Houston 3-0 including an 89-62 victory over the Kats two years ago in Fayetteville.
Sam Houston's trio of four-year seniors is providing the leadership for the women's basketball team this year. Guards Brittany Brooks and Ray Alexander and forward Whitney Smith are combing for 36.8 points a game.
Smith is 30 points away from becoming the 10th Sam Houston State women's basketball player to score 1,000 or more career points. The senior has scored 970 points in 95 games as a Bearkat including 52 in double figures.
Smith passed her head coach, Brenda Nichols, to move into the Bearkats' all-time top career scorers. Nichols scored 923 points in 52 games in 1988 and 1989.
Brooks stands 12th in Sam Houston career scoring behind Nichols. Brooks has scored 845 points in 95 contests as a Bearkat.
Alexander has had five consecutive double figure performances including 25 points at Rice. She is averaging 12.9 points per contest.
Brooks is averaging 12.1 points per game. She has scored in double figures six times including a 22-point performance against Oral Roberts.
Smith has scored in double figures six times to produce an 11.8 scoring mean. Her top performance this year was 21 points against Ole Miss. Smith also leads the Kats with 7.9 rebounds per game.
Sophomore Khamra Echols, also a starter, is adding 8.1 points per game. The fifth Bearkat starter, junior center Terrah Austin is scoring 4.0 points and adding 4.7 boards per contest.
The Sam Houston women do not return home to Johnson Coliseum until January 12 when they will play host to Texas Southern in a 6:30 p.m. contest.
For more information on tickets to all Bearkat home athletic events, go to www.gobearkats.com or contact the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium. Ticket office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
