The Sam Houston State Bearkats overcame a slow start to knock off Colorado State on Saturday night 92-81.
The Bearkats (3-1) used a 60-point second half, including a 24-9 run to extend a one-point lead to 16, to give head coach Jason Hooten his first win against a Division I opponent.
Gilberto Clavell led the way for the Kats, who had four players in double figures, with 29 points. Josten Crow also had a big game scoring 20. Marcus Williams added 17 and Lance Pevehouse scored 14 points. Williams also finished the night with seven assists and four steals.
The Bearkats came out slow in the first half. Over the opening 20 minutes they turned the ball over 15 times, leading to 17 Colorado State points.
But the Kats closed strong outscoring the Rams 15-7 in the final five minutes to cut the lead to six at the half, 38-32. Clavell scored seven points down the stretch in the first half to get the Kats back in the game.
The Kats took the lead on a jumper by Williams with 16:59 to play in the game and never gave it back. It took the Kats a little over seven minutes to erase a 14-point deficit in the first half. SHSU did a better job in the second half of taking care of the ball, just giving it away five times.
They also shot the ball much better, especially from long range, hitting 8-of-16 from outside and finishing the night shooting 52 percent from the floor.
Sam Houston State plays four big home games at Johnson Coliseum in an eight-day stretch beginning Wednesday against Saint Thomas. The other three games are against the University of Houston on Saturday, Dec. 4; North Texas on Wednesday, Dec. 8 and Cleveland State on Saturday, Dec. 11.
The official 2010 Southland Conference championship banner raising will highlight the Dec. 8 game with North Texas at 7 p.m.
The contest with the Houston Cougars will be a 2 p.m. Southland TV network game. Saturday, Dec. 11 is a 3:30 p.m. tip.
The new "Elite 8" ticket package offers Sam Houston fans the opportunity to see the defending Southland Conference men's basketball champions play eight big home games at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum this season.
The plan gives fans the opportunity to purchase a ticket to seven Saturday night games against NCAA Division I opponents (matchups with Houston, Cleveland State, Nicholls, UTSA, Southeastern Louisiana, A&M-Corpus Christi and Texas State) plus the Stephen F. Austin rivalry game on Wednesday, January 26 - all eight games for the remarkable price of only $50. The "Elite 8" ticket package is on sale now online on www.gobearkats.com/tickets .
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. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1764.
