SHSU Men challenge tall LSU lineup Saturday
12/12/2014 9:35:00 AM | Men's Basketball
For the third time in the young 2014-15 season, the Sam Houston men's basketball team takes on a name opponent on their home floor.
This Saturday at 6 p.m. it's the LSU Tigers at the Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, La.
The Tigers are 6-2 coming off of a 74-73 victory over No. 16 West Virginia on December 4. The win marked LSU's first victory over a top 20 team on the opponent's home court since 2004.
LSU brings a three-game winning streak into Saturday's contest that includes victories over McNeese State and Massachusetts.
Sam Houston's previous two contests against name opponents have gone down to the wire as the Bearkats fell by two points at UNLV and three at Texas A&M. Against the Running' Rebels, the SHSU men missed a three point shot that would have won the game at the buzzer. Another three-pointer that was just off the mark in the final second would have sent the Aggie contest into overtime.
“We are still looking to put a complete game together,” SHSU head coach Jason Hooten said. “We haven't quite done that year. At UNLV we had a stretch where we couldn't hit a shot in the second half. At A&M, we started out down 11-0. Both times we fought and scrapped our way back.”
At LSU, Sam Houston again will take on a line-up of big men who can score. The Tigers are averaging 74.4 points per game and four of their five starters are averaging in double figures.
Jarrell Martin, a 6-10 sophomore who made the All-SEC freshman team last year, leads LSU with 16.1 points per game. Jordon Mickey, an All-SEC selection as a 6-8 forward last year, adds 15.6 points.
In the backcourt, the Tigers have 6-4 Keith Hornsby and 6-1 Josh Gray. Both juniors, the pair average 12.3 and 12.0 points, respectively. Gray was the leading scoring in the nation in junior college play last year with 34.7 points per contest at Odessa College.
“One thing I am proud of about this year's team is how much better we're playing defensively,” Hooten said. “That's a good thing because eventually things are going to start clicking offensively and we're going to start making some more shots.”
Senior guards Kaheem Ransom and DeMarcus Gatlin lead Sam Houston with averages of 11.3 and 10.9 points per game, respectively.
Also starting for the Bearkats are center Michael Holyfield (8.3 ppg) and guards Paul Baxter (7.1 ppg) and Jabari Peters (7.1). Dakarai Henderson and Aurimas Majauskas added 9.1 and 8.6 points per contest off the bench.
“In the second half against UTPA last Saturday we shot 58 percent,” Hooten said. “That's more of what we expect. You never play a perfect game but you want to play up to your capabilities. I like the way this team battles. We have another opportunity to get better Saturday at LSU.”
Following Saturday's road trip, Sam Houston will close out this season's non-conference schedule with three home games at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in December.
The Kats play host to Eastern Washington Tuesday, December 16 at 6:30 p.m.; Prairie View A&M Saturday, December 20 at 4:30 p.m. and Howard Payne Monday, December 29 at 6:30 p.m.
Southland Conference action for the Bearkats begins Saturday, January 3, with a 4:30 p.m. game against Incarnate Word.
