By Gene Schallenberg, Huntsville Item
Despite a season best performance of 26 points by junior post Gilberto Clavell, Sam Houston State could not overcome a late surge by Louisiana-Lafayette in a 95-85 Ragin' Cajun victory at Johnson Coliseum Saturday afternoon.
The Ragin' Cajuns held a slim two-point lead with seven minutes to play, but down the stretch, Louisiana-Lafayette didn't miss. The Ragin' Cajuns connected on their final eight shots from the field, pulling away for the victory.
"Our defense was poor," SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said. "We gave up 56 percent in the first half and 76 in the second half. They made 19 of 25 (from the field) in the second half. We can't beat anybody, let alone a team as sound as Louisiana-Lafayette, playing defense like that. They're a good basketball team. They're excited to win today and they should be."
Even though Louisiana-Lafayette was able to erase a six-point halftime deficit minutes into the second half and grab a lead it didn't relinquish, the Bearkats (5-3) hung close with the Ragin' Cajuns.
With five and a half minutes to play, sophomore post Antuan Bootle put the Kats within a score after banking in a layup.
Then the Ragin' Cajuns grabbed all of the momentum on the next two possessions. Senior guards Ryan McCoy and Randell Daigle swished wide-open 3-pointers to give Louisiana-Lafayette an 80-71 lead.
After two missed jump shots and a missed layup by seniors Corey Allmond and Preston Brown, Louisiana-Lafayette senior forward Tyren Johnson, who finished with career highs in points (31) and rebounds (14), extended the Ragin' Cajuns' lead. Johnson laid the ball in to give ULL an 11-point advantage.
Sam Houston State could only whittle the deficit down to six points after Allmond drilled a 3-pointer with less than two minutes to play, bringing the score to 84-78.
But the Kats couldn't keep Louisiana-Lafayette from scoring. The Ragin' Cajuns hit three layups and sunk 5 of 7 from the charity stripe in the final two minutes to stave off the Bearkats' rally attempt.
"We didn't do what we needed to do defensively," said SHSU junior post Gilberto Clavell, who finished with 10 rebounds and a season-high 26 points. "We didn't execute sometimes. We had some silly turnovers. They outhustled us. We came ready to play, but at the end, we didn't execute.
"Defense wins games, and if you don't play defense, it can lose games for you, too."
In the first half, the Bearkats' aggressiveness in the paint put Louisiana-Lafayette into early foul trouble. As a result, Sam Houston State got plenty of opportunities at the free-throw line. The Kats converted on 18-of-27 chances, which helped them jump out to an 11-point lead late in the first half.
That aggressiveness continued early in the second half as Louisiana-Lafayette put the Bearkats in the bonus in less than seven minutes. But the Kats couldn't take advantage, hitting only 9 of 18 free-throw attempts.
"We weren't able to capitalize on it," Marlin said. "We fouled out four of their guys. We had an opportunity to foul out McCoy and he hit some big shots for them down the stretch. We were in foul trouble as well, but we didn't lose anybody. We didn't take advantage of their foul trouble."
The Bearkats return to action Saturday when they host Ecclesia College. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
For Saturday afternoon games in December and January, Sam Houston makes fans an incredible offer - four general admission tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns and four sodas - all for just $28.
This "Saturday Afternoon Family Pack" for Bearkat men's basketball represents almost a 50 percent savings over the normal $52 cost of four tickets, four hot dogs, four popcorns and four sodas. A minimum of four tickets must be purchased. Additional tickets may be purchased at $7 each.
Fans can purchase a "Family Pack" in advance online at www.gobearkats.com or at Johnson Coliseum the day of the game.
Sam Houston students can win a free Bearkat basketball t-shirt just by attending the three Sam Houston basketball home games in December. Attendees will be tracked via the BearkatOneCard. All Sam Houston State students are admitted free to Bearkat games at Johnson Coliseum on presentation of their BearkatOneCard. The student gate at Johnson Coliseum is Gate 27.
For more information about home sports events at Sam Houston State, go on-line to www.gobearkats.com or contact the Bearkat Athletic Ticket Office located in 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.
