Jabari Peters scored 26 points, going 15-of-19 at the line, as Sam Houston State hung on for a 108-103 double overtime view on the road at Prairie View A&M Thursday night.
The contest saw 17 ties and 15 lead changes. Sam Houston hit 16 of its 19 free throws in the overtime to clinch the victory.
Kaheem Ransom scored 19 points and three other Bearkats tallied in double figures as Terrance Motley scored 14, Paul Baxter 13 and James Thomas 10.
A pair of free throws by Peters and another by Thomas accounted for the winning points in the second overtime, putting Sam Houston up 106-100 with 22 seconds to play.
“We went out to get some offense during recruiting and we got some,” SHSU head coach Jason Hooten said of Peters and Ransom, both transfers from Seward County Community College in Kansas.
The victories give Sam Houston a 3-0 record, the Bearkats' best season start since Sam Houston started the 2008 season with 10 straight victories.
The Bearkats hit 52.4 percent from the field, going 33-of-63 with eight three-pointers. Prairie View also was hot with 52.9 per cent shooting, 37-of-70, with nine treys. Both at the end of regulation and at the end of the first overtime, the Panthers nailed threes to get the game going.
Sam Houston won the battle of the boards with 45 rebounds to Prairie View's 33. Peters led the Kats with nine.
Prairie View jumped out to a 9-2 lead in the first three minutes and led 32-26 with five to play in the first half. Sam Houston went on an 11-4 run to tie the contest for the first time 36-36 with 30 seconds left in the period. Prairie View hit a three to take a 41-38 lead into the locker room at intermission.
Michael Holyfield gave the Kats their first lead 48-46 with a lay-up at the 16:55 mark. Neither team could take control as the score was tied 11 times in the in next 12 minutes.
Paul Baxter's drive gave Sam Houston a 79-75 lead with 1:50 to play but the Panthers rallied to end regulation knotted at 81-81.
The Kats held leads of 89-86, 91-88 and, with 14 seconds left in the first overtime, 93-90, but John Brisco bagged a three-pointer at the buzzer to force five more minutes of play with the game knotted at 93-all.
After the teams had scored three apiece to time, Motley started a 7-1 Bearkat run as Sam Houston jumped out to a 103-97 lead. Motley was fouled after an offensive rebound and picked up the 103rd point on a free throw.
Sam Houston returns to Johnson Coliseum Wednesday, Nov. 20, to play host to Jarvis Christian in a 7 p.m. game.
