Nash led both teams with 19 points including a 5-for-5 performance from three point range. Chassidy Fussell added 16 points and Ashley Gayle posted 11.

Gayle's free throw at the 16:15 mark in the first half gave the Longhorns an 8-0 start to the contest. Britni Martin, who led SHSU with 14 points, finally put the Kats on the scoreboard with a three-pointer 20 seconds later.

Texas limited Sam Houston to only five field goals in the first half. The Kats ended the day with 22.2 percent shooting, going 16-of-72 from the field. The Longhorns outscored Sam Houston 32 to 18 in the paint and shot 49.2 percent from the field with a 30-for-61 performance.

The victory upped Texas to 11-3 for the season. The Bearkats fared better in the second half, hitting 11-of-35 from the field and totaling 33 second period points while the Horns scored 45.

Khamra Echols and Sequeena Thomas added 13 and 10 points, respectively, for Sam Houston. Thomas and Martin each grabbed seven rebounds to lead the team. The loss drops the Bearkats to 6-8 for the year. Sam Houston opened their schedule with five wins in their first six games, the program's best start since 1994. But since a Nov. 27 loss at Texas Tech, the SHSU women have lost seven of their last eight including a six-game losing streak.

Sam Houston now turns to Southland Conference action, opening league action with a home game with the UTSA Roadrunners Saturday, Jan. 8, at 2 p.m. in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

Tickets for all home Sam Houston women's basketball games are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the Sam Houston 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 Bearkat ticket office telephone number is 936 294-1729.