Women host UTSA Saturday
1/5/2011 7:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sam Houston opens the 2011 Southland Conference women's basketball campaign with a 2 p.m. contest with the UTSA Roadrunners Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Although the Bearkats were predicted to finish in sixth place in the Southland West in the annual preseason poll of the league's head coaches last October, Sam Houston ended pre-Southland play with the best non-conference record in the division.
Sam Houston brings a 6-8 record into league play while UTSA owns a 4-8 season mark.
The Bearkats 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. Shooting woes have been a factor. In their six wins, Sam Houston boasted a healthy .432 field goal percentage. But, in their eight losses, the Kats are hitting only .306 from the field.
Scoring inside has been a key as well. Sam Houston is 5-1 when they outscore their opponents in the paint. When forced to rely on their shooting from three-point range, it has been a different story. The Kats are 1-5 in games in which the women have attempted 20 or more three-pointers and 1-7 in contests where they have been out-scored in the paint.
UTSA also comes into the league opener with a losing streak into the contest as well. The Roadrunners have lost seven of their last eight contests. Their last victory was a 72-55 victory at Kansas State on December 20. Amber Gregg leads the Roadrunners with 12.8 points per game while Ashley Gardner adds 10.3 points per contest.
Two Sam Houston players rank among the top 10 scorers in the Southland Conference and three are averaging in double figures. All three are sophomores.
Britni Martin ranks fourth in the Southland with a 15.9 scoring mean. Martin has posted nine double figure scoring games this year including a 37-point output in a victory over Charleston Southland that came within one point of tying the school single game scoring mark.
Sequeena Thomas stands sixth in the league in scoring (15.1) and second in rebounds (10.1). She has produced double figure performances in both points and rebounds three times this year. Chanice Smith is the third Bearkat averaging in double figures with her 10.7 average.
Junior Khamra Echols and sophomore Clarke Davis complete the Bearkats' probable starting lineup. Echols ranks fourth in the Southland in assists this season with 4.4 per game.
Saturday's contest with the Roadrunners will mark the 43rd women's basketball meeting between Sam Houston and UTSA. The Roadrunners own a 30-12 advantage in the series.
Sam Houston's 73-72 overtime victory versus UTSA last year in Huntsville ended a nine-year, 17-game winning streak for UTSA against the Bearkats.
Saturday's women's game will be broadcast live in the Huntsville area on KHVL 1490 AM.
The game also will be streamed live on www.gobearkats.com.
Tickets for Sam Houston home women's basketball games are now onsale online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or 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 number is (936) 294-1729.
