In a classic grind between two Southland Conference rivals, the Sam Houston State Bearkats dominated the paint in a 55-40 win over SFA on Wednesday night in Nacogdoches.
The Kats outscored the Jacks 34-16 in the paint with Gilberto Clavell leading the way with 17 points. The Kats also dominated the boards outrebounding SFA 34-19.
“That was one of our goals tonight was winning the rebounding game,” said SHSU head coach Jason Hooten. “I am really proud of the guys tonight. They came out and executed the way we wanted.”
From the opening tip, the Kats were very active on the defensive side of the ball. SFA didn't score its first points of the game until the 13:04 mark and they finished the first have with just 14 points on 33 percent shooting.
The Bearkats gained some momentum at the end of the first half when Lance Pevehouse hit a fall-away jumper at the buzzer to give the Kats a 26-14 lead after 20 minutes of play. The Lumberjacks didn't get to 20 points on the scoreboard until 16 minutes left to play in the game.
The Kats didn't shoot particularly well from long range, hitting just 2-of-18, but they shot 52 percent from the floor, going 24-of-32 from inside the arch.
The win puts the Kats in the Southland Conference Tournament which starts next week in Katy. The Kats will wrap up the regular season on Saturday at home against Texas State. Click here for information on how to Purchase State Farm Southland Conference Tournament Tickets
The action begins Tuesday March 8 and runs through Saturday March 12, all at the Leonard E. Merrell Center in Katy.
The Bearkat men are defending tournament champions while the women are making their second consecutive appearance in the event.
Tickets are available online right now. A tournament All-Session tAicket is $75. The men's All-Tournament package is $50. The women's All-Tournament package is $40.
Tournament seedings and pairings will be announced Sunday March 6.
Tickets for Sam Houston's 7 p.m. season finale with Texas State Saturday night are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the SHSU 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) 294-1729.
