LAKE CHARLES -- Corey Allmond scored 20 points including a 4-of-9 performance from three-point range to lead Sam Houston State to a 75-60 men's basketball victory over McNeese State at Burton Coliseum Wednesday night.
McNeese State took an early first half lead, but the Bearkats outscored the Cowboys 13-0 in the final 5:16 of the first period to go up 35-26 at intermission. Sam Houston never trailed again.
“We played really well for the last 30 minutes of the game,” SHSU head coach Bob Marlin said. “We played good basketball on both ends. The main thing is that we shot the ball better than we ever have here. We shot 58 percent in the second half, went 6-for-12 from 3 and 4-for-4 from the line.”
Junior Corey Allmond scored 18 of his game-high 20 points after halftime, including a 4-of-9 performance from behind the arc. Junior Preston Brown and senior DeLuis Ramirez each chipped in nine points.
Senior forward Barkley Falkner just missed out on a double-double with eight points and eight rebounds. Sophomores Josten Crow and Lance Pevehouse each added eight points off the bench for Sam Houston State.
McNeese State (5-8 in SLC, 11-15 overall) led by as many as seven in the first half and was up four with 5:16 to go before halftime.
That's when Sam Houston State came roaring back.
Ramirez scored back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 26, then freshman Antuan Bootle gave the Bearkats their first lead of the game with a layup with two minutes left in the period. Pevehouse followed with one of his two 3-pointers on the night, while Ramirez and Falkner capped the 13-0 run with baskets to make it 35-26.
“We were down 14-2 to start the game here last year, cut it to two at the half and came back to win 64-49,” Marlin said. “Tonight we were down 8-2 and went on a 13-0 run to go up at the half. DeLuis hit some big baskets. Lance hit a 3, Bootle scored and Barkley lays one in at the buzzer. Corey got hot in the second half, and we were able to open it up.”
The Cowboys cut the advantage to five twice in the first five minutes of the second half. But Allmond and Brown hit consecutive 3s to push the lead to 45-34. Sam Houston State never led by less than double digits the rest of the way.
The Bearkats hit the road for the final time Saturday when they face Texas-Arlington at 4 p.m
SAM HOUSTON STATE 75, MCNEESE STATE 60
2/25/09 7 p.m. at Lake Charles, LA. (Burton Coliseum)
SAM HOUSTON STATE (16-10,10-3 SLC)
Allmond, Corey 8-14 0-0 20; Brown, Preston 4-9 0-0 9; Ramirez, DeLuis 4-9
1-1 9; Crow, Josten 3-5 2-2 8; Falkner, Barkley 4-9 0-0 8; Pevehouse, Lance
3-6 0-0 8; Mitchell, Ashton 2-5 2-2 7; Murray, Drae 1-6 2-2 4; Bootle,
Antuan 1-1 0-0 2; Kvedys, Domas 0-0 0-0 0; Zulu, Arthur 0-0 0-0 0. Totals
30-64 7-7 75.
MCNEESE STATE (11-15, 5-8 SLC)
Penn, Kleon 8-12 1-2 17; Kapelan, Diego 4-12 4-7 14; Martin, Stephan 4-8 0-0
11; Alawoya, P.J. 3-7 0-0 6; Pichon, John 3-11 0-2 6; Cotton, Billy 2-3 0-0
4; Neal, Elbryan 1-1 0-1 2; Collins, C.J. 0-3 0-0 0; Richard, Patrick 0-3
0-0 0. Totals 25-60 5-12 60.
Sam Houston State............. 35 40 - 75
McNeese State................. 26 34 - 60
3-point goals--Sam Houston State 8-20 (Allmond, Corey 4-9; Pevehouse, Lance
2-3; Mitchell, Ashton 1-2; Brown, Preston 1-2; Murray, Drae 0-2; Falkner,
Barkley 0-1; Ramirez, DeLuis 0-1), McNeese State 5-17 (Martin, Stephan 3-5;
Kapelan, Diego 2-7; Pichon, John 0-2; Collins, C.J. 0-1; Richard, Patrick
0-2). Fouled out--Sam Houston State-None, McNeese State-None. Rebounds--Sam
Houston State 33 (Falkner, Barkley 8), McNeese State 39 (Alawoya, P.J. 9).
Assists--Sam Houston State 17 (Murray, Drae 6), McNeese State 8 (Martin,
Stephan 3). Total fouls--Sam Houston State 19, McNeese State 12. Technical
fouls--Sam Houston State-Crow, Josten, McNeese State-None. A-600
