Bearkat women take on top teams in Dallas
11/27/2014 8:08:00 AM | Women's Basketball
The Sam Houston women's basketball team returns to action Friday and Saturday as the Bearkats compete in the annual SMU Mustang Thanksgiving Classic at Moody Coliseum in Dallas.
The Kats will take on Southern California at 5 p.m. Thursday. A match-up between the host Mustangs and Florida A&M follows at 7:15 p.m.
The winners will compete for the championship Saturday at 7:15 p.m., while the losers will play a consolation game at 5 p.m. The Mustangs have hosted a tournament the week of Thanksgiving in Moody Coliseum every year since 1998, except for a trip to the Bahamas last season due to renovations in Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs are 22-8 all-time in the tournament, winning the championship eight times.
Sam Houston continues to look for its first victory of the season. The team is playing short-handed with several key players including seniors Angela Beadle and Jasmine Robinson sidelined with injuries.
Transfer guard Shernise Robertson leads the team with 16.3 points per game, making seven 3-pointers. Sophomore guard Taylor Dorsey is scoring 8.7 per game.
Senior Jazmin Wiley leads Sam Houston on the boards with 5.5 rebounds per game. Freshman Saundra Guillory adds 4.7 per contest.
Junior guard Amanda Barnes leads the Bearkat women in assists and is second on the squad in three-point shooting.
The USC Trojans enter the tournament with a 3-1 record, dropping their season opener 70-61 against No. 1 ranked South Carolina before winning three straight. Three players score in double figures, led by Alexyz Vaioletama with 12.8 points per game, and six players score at least eight points per game.
The Trojans are out-scoring opponents 79.5-67.2, and are shooting 47.4 percent from the field (118-of-249) and 41.8 percent from 3-point range (23-of-55).
SMU is 2-2 overall, coming off a 69-53 win against Eastern Washington Saturday. Destynee Hives-McCray leads the team with 11.8 points and 9.0 rebounds per game, with two double-doubles this season, and all five starters are scoring at least seven points per game.
Florida A&M stands 1-3 on the season with a 52-41 win against Webber International. The Rattlers opened the season with a 60-44 loss at Alabama before three straight home games. Taneka Rubin leads the team with 12.3 points per game, and Olivia Antilla averages 10.5 points.
Following the tournament in Dallas, Sam Houston will return home to Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum to play host to Texas Southern on Wednesday, Dec. 3, at 6:30 p.m. The contest is one of two home appearances for the SHSU women during the final month of 2014. Sam Houston will also take on Prairie View A&M Wednesday, December 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Johnson.
Tickets for Sam Houston women's basketball are available online at www.gobearkats.com or at the SHSU athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
