Men's basketball hosts Lamar Wednesday at 7 p.m.
1/26/2010 2:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAM HOUSTON TO HOST LAMAR WEDNESDAY
The Bearkats play three of their next four games at home in Johnson Coliseum beginning with a Wednesday night contest with Lamar at 7 p.m. The Cardinals come into Johnson standing 10-10 for the year and 2-3 in Southland action. Leading scorers for Lamar are 6-1 Anthony Miles with a 14.3 scoring average, 6-7 Justin Nabors (13.9) and 6-1 Kendrick Harris (12.3).
The game will be broadcast live in Huntsville on KSAM 101.7 FM with live streaming video on the internet at www.gobearkats.com
BEARKATS OFF TO 4-0 START IN SOUTHLAND ACTION
Sam Houston stands 4-0 in Southland play this year, only the third time in the Kats' 23 years in the league they have won their opening four games. Sam Houston also started 4-0 in 2001 and in 2003. Only once, in 2001, have the Kats won their first five SLC contests. The 2003 team lost to Southwest Texas in their fifth league game but finished the year with a 17-3 Southland mark and the league title.
CARDINALS-BEARKATS SERIES RECORD
Lamar leads the all-time series with the Bearkats 29-21. However, Sam Houston owns a 12-7 advantage over Lamar in regular season games since the Cardinals returned to the Southland Conference in 1999. The two teams split last year, Sam Houston winning 112-105 in double overtime in Beaumont and Lamar taking the Huntsville contest 60-57.
BEARKATS AT HOME THREE OF NEXT FOUR GAMES
Sam Houston will play three of their next four games on their home court at Johnson Coliseum. After hosting Lamar Wednesday and traveling to A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday, Sam Houston plays UTSA on Wednesday Feb. 3 and Central Arkansas on Saturday Feb. 6 in Huntsville. Both games tip at 7 p.m.
"This is an extremely critical portion of our schedule," Sam Houston head coach Bob Marlin said. "Every night in this league its a battle. You really have to be ready to play every night. To have a good home crowd behind you helps and you have to take advantage."
HIGH-SCORING BACKCOURT LEADS BEARKATS
Sam Houston is led by the highest scoring backcourt duo in the program's 22 years at the NCAA Division I level. Corey Allmond and Ashton Mitchell have combined for 28.0 points per game this season. The duo paired for 27.8 points last year.
Allmond, a 6-1 senior from Oxon Hill, MD, is averaging 16.1 points. Mitchell, a 5-11 three-year letterman from New Orleans, is averaging 11.9 points and 4.8 assists this season.
The pair, who are room mates off the court, both have earned Southland Conference "Player of the Week" honors this year.
TRANSFER BOLSTERS BEARKAT INSIDE GAME
Gilberto Clavell, a 6-7 junior college transfer from Collin County, has stepped in as a starter this season. The Mayaquez, Puerto Rico product has made an immediate impact, averaging 16.4 points and leading the Kats in rebounding with a 6.5. He has scored in double figures in 13 games including 34 points in the win at Auburn. He has twice been named as Southland "Player of the Week."
LAST GAME
Josten Crow drove for a layup with 15 seconds left and Gilberto Clavell added a free throw with four ticks remaining as Sam Houston held off a late UT-Arlington rally to win 67-64 at Texas Hall in Arlington Saturday night. The Bearkats never trailed in the game, going up 39-24 at halftime and leading by as many as 18 points early in the second half.
Fifteen points down with 10:29 to play, UTA turned up the defensive pressure, holding the Bearkats without a field goal until Crow's basket with 15 secons to play. The Mavericks had cut the margin to two points, 64-62, before Crow's score.
"We shot well in the first half and were up by 18 early in the second half and we hit a rough patch late," Sam Houston head coach Bob Marlin. "But I was proud of the way we fought through and came away with a victory. UTA never got the lead and never tied us. We turned the ball over some, but were able to come up with some big defensive plays."
DEFENSE A KEY FOR THE BEARKATS
When the Bearkats have played solid defense this season, success has followed. In Sam Houston's 12 victories, the Kats have held opponents to 61.7 points and a field goal percentage of .386. In the Bearkats' five losses, opponents have averaged 87.8 points and shot .572.
SAM HOUSTON OWNS 424-GAME TREY STREAK
Sam Houston State has hit at least one three-point basket in 424 consecutive games. That figure includes all 339 games under Bearkat head coach Bob Marlin.
The last time Sam Houston did not hit a three-point basket in a game was on Feb. 9, 1995 against Southwest Texas State.
BEARKATS HAVE POSTED BIG WINS THIS SEASON
Sam Houston's non-conference victories this year include wins over Auburn, Oral Roberts, Rider and Florida International. The victory over Auburn was the Kats' first ever over a Southeastern Conference opponent. The wins over ORU and Rider earned Sam Houston the Mayan Division championship at the Cancun Challenge in Mexico during Thanksgiving week.
SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE POST-SEASON TOURNAMENT
The top two teams from both divisions, plus the next four remaining teams with the best records will advance to the Merrill Center in Katy for the annual post-season SLC tournament to decide the Southland's NCAA playoff representative.The tournament begins on Wednesday March 10 with four quarter-final games. The semi-finals will be played Thursday night March 11. The finals will be televised live on ESPN2 on Saturday March 13.
For ticket information about the tournament see the Bearkats' Southland Conference Classic post-season tournament link. SPECIAL SATURDAY NIGHT TICKET PACKAGE With the "Saturday Night Southland Conference Ticket Package" a reserved seat ticket for all three contests is only $15. The three Saturday night men's basketball opponents are Central Arkansas Feb. 6, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Feb. 13 and UT-Arlington Feb. 27. Tip off time each Saturday is 7 p.m. Only a limited number of reserved seats for the three games remain, so fans need to act now.
The Sam Houston men play three Saturday night home games during Febuary. And now Bearkat fans have the opportunity to see all three men's basketball Saturday night games in February for a bargain price.
Tickets for all men's basketball home games are on sale now on-line at www.gobearkats.com . Fans also may purchase tickets at 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. Monday through Friday. Ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
