Islanders Visit Saturday Night
1/20/2012 9:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston owns a two-game victory streak after winning 75-65 at Nicholls State and 71-68 over Texas State Wednesday in Huntsville.
Demarcus Gatlin scored 19 points against Texas State. SHSU led the Bobcats by seven, 70-63, with 2:35 to play. Texas State cut the margin to 70-68 in the next 15 seconds. The Bearkat defense held the Bobcats scoreless the rest of the way.
Gatlin also was the hero in the win at Nicholls, scoring 21 points including a three-pointer with 9:22 to play after Nicholls had cut the Bearkats' lead to just one point. Gatlin is averaging 15.2 points per game in Southland Conference action.
A&M-Corpus Christi stands 1-4 in Southland action, but their victory was a road win over second place UTSA, the preseason favorite to win the West Division.
The Islanders lead the Southland Conference in rebounding with Myron Dempsey leading the way with 8.0 boards per game. Dempsey ranks No. 2 in the league in individual rebounds.
Sam Houston leads the all-time men's basketball series between the Bearkats and the Islanders nine victories to four. The two teams split last year, the Islanders winning 70-68 in Corpus Christi and the Bearkats bouncing back for a 75-67 victory in Huntsville. Sam Houston holds a 5-1 advantage over A&M-Corpus Christi in games played at Johnson Coliseum.
Seven of the Bearkats' top eight scorers are newcomers to Sam Houston. Senior forward Marcus James is the only returning letterman in the starting lineup.
Antuan Bootle, a starter in 2011, has returned from a month-and-a-half layoff with a foot injury. Newcomer Steven Werner has been a big factor inside for the Bearkats in both victories.
Konner Tucker, a 6-4 shooting guard who red-shirted last year after transferring from Wake Forest, is the Bearkats' scoring leader with an 11.7 average.
Following Saturday's game with the Islanders, the Sam Houston men will play back-to-back road games as they travel to Stephen F. Austin Wednesday, Jan. 25, and UTSA Saturday, Jan. 28
