By Cody Stark - The Huntsville Item
The Bearkats started fast, but Cleveland State finished strong.
Sam Houston State could not come up with the big shots when it needed to as the Vikings knocked down 10 3-pointers to pull away for a 74-62 victory at Johnson Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
The Bearkats (5-3) played well at the beginning of each half. Cleveland State (12-0), which came into the contest ranked No. 1 in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, got hot from long range in key stretches to dash any hopes of a Sam Houston upset.
The Vikings connected on 10-of-21 (48 percent) attempts from 3-point range, while the Bearkats managed to shoot just 4 for 15, or 27 percent, from behind the arc.
"We didn't shoot it as well we did the other night, and you aren't going to shoot like that every time," SHSU head coach Jason Hooten said. "The disappointing thing was that little stretch there when we were down two and gave them an 11-0 run in the first half. Not that the game was over, but that was a big stretch in the game right there."
The game certainly wasn't over, but it did foreshadow what was coming.
The Bearkats jumped out to an 8-2 lead when senior Lance Pevehouse and junior Drae Murray each hit 3s in the first two and a half minutes. The Vikings roared back and took the lead when senior Norris Cole, who scored 19 points, converted a three-point play and sophomore Charlie Woods hit a 3 to make it 10-8.
It was back and forth until Cleveland State went up 30-25 on a pair of free throws by Joe Latas with 6:21 to go. Juniors Marcus James and Marcus Williams pulled Sam Houston to within 30-29 with back-to-back baskets, then the Vikings got hot.
Cole, Jeremy Montgomery and Ludovic NDaye all drilled 3s as Cleveland State ended the half on a 14-2 run to grab a 44-31 advantage heading into the break.
"We definitely didn't hit a big shot, but we just didn't play good enough defense," said Williams, who finished with 12 points. "We didn't defend right and we gave them easy baskets."
Sam Houston got the start it was looking for to open the second half. Senior forward Gilberto Clavell scored eight of his game-high 21 points to start the period as the Bearkats trimmed the lead to 50-45 after junior Antuan Bootle laid in a basket at the 11:34 mark.
Sam Houston never got any closer as Vikings guard Trevon Harmon, who finished with 20 points, found wide-open looks from outside and hit three of his four 3-pointers during a two minute stretch to push the lead to 66-52 with 6:24 left in the game.
"They are a well-rounded team, and we thought we had them guarded the way we needed to," said SHSU senior Josten Crow, who was held scoreless for the first time all season. "They have great guard play and they made a lot of shots."
Besides 3-pointing shooting, the Bearkats shot the ball well Saturday. Sam Houston was 24 of 52 (46 percent) from the floor and hit 50 percent of its shots in the first half.
But the defensive lapses during those stretches in each half made the difference. Cleveland State, which owns the best record in the nation, shot 49 percent and outrebounded the Bearkats 37-26.
"This is one of the days when our defense wasn't as strong as it normally is," Vikings head coach Gary Waters said. "We hold teams to 37 percent. This team shot 46 percent on us and had 50 percent in the first half. I was disappointed in that. Offensively, I thought we executed better."
It was a frustrating loss for Sam Houston, which was coming off its best performance of the season in a 94-74 win over North Texas on Wednesday. In that game, the Bearkats hit 40 percent of their shots from behind the arc and got 37 points from the bench.
Sam Houston also had another solid outing taking care of the basketball with only nine turnovers after committing just eight in the win over the Mean Green.
But Cleveland State could not miss when the game was in the balance.
"I knew we would come out and play well in the second half and we did. We cut it from 13 to seven just like that," Hooten said. "We were there all the way, but when you get that far behind, you have to get stops. We just couldn't get stops. They ran their ball screens well and that opened up shots outside."
The Bearkats hit the road for the next six games beginning Dec. 18 at Florida International. Sam Houston returns home for a Southland Conference matchup with Texas-Arlington on Jan. 12.
"They are a very talented team, maybe just as talented as Cleveland State," Hooten said about Florida International. "We put it on them pretty good last year and I am sure they are going to be looking to put it on us when we go to their place.
Tickets for Sam Houston basketball are on sale now online at 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.
