Men's Basketball Home Opener Monday
11/10/2013 4:59:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Fresh off a 77-73 road victory over Texas-Pan American Friday night in Edinburg, the Sam Houston men's basketball team will open its 2013-14 home schedule at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Monday at 7 p.m.
The Bearkats take on the Hillsdale Baptist Saints from Moore, Oklahoma.
Jabari Peters and Kaheem Ransom, both transfers from Seward Community College in Kansas, look to bring offensive punch to a Bearkat team that ranked second defensively in the Southland Conference last year.
Peters and Ransom combined for 47 points Friday. Peters scored 24, going 13-of-18 at the free throw line. Ransom scored 23 points, going 6-of-10 from the field including three treys.
The pair combined to hit six pressure charity shots in the final 27 seconds of the game after the Broncs had cut the Bearkats' lead to one point.
Senior forward James Thomas, last year's leading scorer and Bearkat team MVP, added nine points in the victory for Sam Houston.
Sam Houston returns eight players from the squad that last year knocked off No. 3 seed Oral Roberts in the Southland tournament quarterfinals and threw a scare into eventual champion Northwestern State in the semifinals.
“We certainly carried a lot of momentum from the performance in the tournament last year into our preseason practice,” head coach Jason Hooten said. “We think we've helped ourselves in recruiting, especially on the offensive end of the floor.”
Other returning players for the Bearkats include sophomore guard Paul Baxter, junior 6-11 post Michael Holyfield and senior forwards Nathanial Mason and Terrance Motley.
Tickets for Sam Houston men's and women's basketball home games are available online at www.gobearkats.com or at the SHSU athletic ticket office in the Ron Mafrige Field House. For more information call the ticket office at (936) 294-1729.
