Unbeaten Cleveland State Johnson Coliseum Saturday at 3:30
12/10/2010 8:54:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Cleveland State brings the best record in NCAA Division I men's basketball to Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Saturday afternoon when Sam Houston State hosts the Vikings in a 3:30 p.m. non-conference match-up.
The contest is part of the only men's and women's basketball doubleheader at Johnson this season. The women meet Houston Baptist at 1 p.m.
Cleveland State brings a perfect 11-0 mark into the contest after routing West Virginia Tech 94-62 Tuesday to become the first Division I team to win 11 games this year.
The Vikings stand No. 16 in the most recent NCAA RPI ratings and No. 26 in the Sagarine rankings. Cleveland State received 13 votes in the week's Associated Press poll and seven votes in the CNN/USA Today poll.
Sam Houston will out to avenge an 80-65 loss to the Vikings last year in Cleveland that was part of both team's competition in the Cancun Classic. The game marked the first basketball meeting between the two universities.
Cleveland State made national headlines two years ago as the Horizon Conference tournament upset No. 4 Wake Forest in the 2009 NCAA first round. The Vikings rolled up a 16-17 overall season mark last year against one of the most difficult schedules in college basketball.
"Cleveland State is an outstanding ball club," Sam Houston head coach Jason Hooten said. "To be able to bring three quality teams like the University of Houston, North Texas and Cleveland State into our arena in an eight-day period has been special."
The Vikings feature one of the top backcourts in college basketball with 6-2 senior Norris Cole averaging 21.5 points, 6-1 Trevon Harmon 13.6 and 6-2 Jeremy Montgomery 12.2.
Cole led both teams with 24 points in last year's meeting in Cleveland. Harmon added 16 points in the Vikings' 80-65 win. Lance Pevehouse led SHSU with 13 points.
Sam Houston is coming off of one of its best performances of the season. Senior forward Josten Crow scored a career high 24 points and Gilberto Clavell and Marcus Williams each added 17 points as Sam Houston handed North Texas a 94-74 loss Wedesday.
The Bearkat victory ended a five-game Mean Green winning streak and provided pay-back for the Kats for a loss two years ago to UNT that ended Sam Houston's 45-game home non-conference winning streak (at that time second nationally only to Duke).
Sam Houston led from wire to wire, going up 44-36 at halftime and outscoring the Mean Green 48-38 in the second period. The Bearkats had their best shooting night of the season, going 36-of-63 from the field (57.1).
Clavell continues to lead the Kats in both scoring (19.6 points) and rebounds (8.7). Crow is averaging 14.6 points and 6.4 rebounds.
Saturday's game will be the last home contest for the men until Wednesday, January 12, when the Bearkats host UT-Arlington in a 7 p.m. Southland Conference game.
Sam Houston takes a week off for finals then travels to Florida International Dec. 18, to Houston for a rematch with the UH Cougars on Dec. 21 and to El Paso for the UTEP tournament Dec. 28-29.
Tickets for Sam Houston men's basketball are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets.
Saturday is "Kid's Day" at Johnson Coliseum. Kids 17 years of age and under are free when accompanied by a paying adult. Up to four kids can take advantage of the offer with each adult ticket purchase.
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.
