Kats host Howard Payne Monday night
12/28/2014 7:47:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston faces its final non-conference game Monday night at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The Bearkats, now 7-4 against a challenging pre-Southland schedule, play host to Howard Payne at 6:30 p.m. The SHSU men open league play Saturday afternoon, January, against Incarnate Word.
With nine lettermen and four starters returning from a 24-10 squad, Sam Houston State looks to contend for the 2015 Southland Conference men's basketball championship.
Sam Houston has been picked to finish third behind defending Southland regular-season and tournament champion Stephen F. Austin and Northwestern State in the annual preseason poll of league head coaches.
The Bearkats are undefeated in five home games this season. They also have impressive performances on the road in its. The Bearkats hold NCAA Division I victories over Eastern Washington, South Dakota (in triple overtime), Fairfield and UT-Pan American.
The Kats have taken three tradition powerhouses to the wire as well. Sam Houston lost by two at UNLV and by three at Texas A&M. Sam Houston had three-point shots at the buzzer for a win at UNLV and a tie at Aggieland. Sam Houston lost to LSU by nine but were within four points in the final minutes.
In their final game before the Christmas break, Sam Houston defeated the UTPA Broncs 61-44.
Sam Houston is allowing opponents only 62.0 points per game and a .381 field goal shooting percentage. The Kats have averaged 19.1 points per game from their opponents' 132 total turnovers.
The Bearkats feature a balanced attack with seven players averaging more than 7.0 points per game.
Two Sam Houston players, Jabari Peters and Kaheem Ransom, were selected to the 2015 men's basketball preseason All-Southland Conference team. Peters, a 6-4 guard from Brooklyn, NY, is a first team selection. Ransom, a 6-1 guard from Wichita, Kansas is a second team honoree.
Other top players for the Kats include guards DeMarcus Gatlin, Paul Baxter and Dakarai Henderson and inside players Michael Holyfield and Aurimas Majauskas.
Tickets for Sam Houston home basketball games are on sale now on www.gobearkats.com.
