Bench looks to be factor in opener with UIW
1/2/2015 9:15:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston and Incarnate Word, two of the Southland Conference's three most successful teams during the league's non-league portion of this winter's schedule, meet head-on as the 2015 men's basketball race begins this weekend.
The pair face off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
While defending Southland champion and preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin owns a 10-3 pre-conference record, UIW at 8-2 and Sam Houston at 8-4 are right behind.
The Bearkats own NCAA Division I victories over Eastern Washington, South Dakota, Fairfield and Prairie View A&M. The SHSU men also made strong showings on the road against tradition powerhouses, losing by only two at UNLV and three at Texas A&M. Sam Houston also had a late lead at LSU before falling to the Tigers by seven.
Incarnate Word, in only its second season during its transition to the NCAA Division I level, made national headlines December 10 with a 74-73 victory at Nebraska. The Cardinals also have road victories over Princeton and Kansas City.
Saturday's opener with Incarnate Word shapes up as an interesting match.
Averaging 83.0 points per game, the UIW Cardinals lead the Southland in scoring. Sam Houston leads the league in scoring defense, allowing opponents only 59.6 points per contest. The Kats also are tops in the Southland in scoring margin (out-pointing foes by 18.3 per game) and field goal percentage defense (.374).
While Incarnate Word brings the league's top three-point shooting team into Johnson Coliseum (.368), the Kats stand second in the Southland in three-point field goal percentage defense (.317).
Sam Houston also is the Southland's leader in rebounding (44.1 per game) and rebounding margin (+10.1).
Sam Houston's showdown with Incarnate Word Saturday is part of a men's and women's doubleheader at Johnson Coliseum. The Bearkat women open play at 2 p.m. against the Cardinals.
Sam Houston has a score to settle with the Cardinals. UIW handed the Kats an 85-74 loss in San Antonio last year in the two team's first meeting ever. The defeat ended a four-game Bearkat winning streak.
“The guys have fought hard every game,” Hooten said. “I'm most pleased with our improvement defensively.”
Incarnate Word's Denzel Livingston sports a 21.6 scoring average to rank second in the league. With its balanced attack, Sam Houston does not have a player ranked among the top 20 in individual scoring in the Southland. But seven Bearkat players average seven or more points per contest.
Kaheem Ransom (10.9 ppg), DeMarcus Gatlin (10.6 ppg) and Jabari Peterrs (8.9 ppg) sport the top scoring averages among the SHSU starters.
The Kats' depth could be an important factor Saturday as well. Sam Houston is averaging 36.1 bench points per game. Sophomore Dakarai Henderson brings 9.4 points per game on the perimeter off the bench. Aurimas Majauskas has averaged 7.9 points and 4.7 rebounds backing up post starter Michael Holyfield (8.4 ppg, 7.8 reb).
Other Southland opening weekend match-ups include Northwestern State vs. Houston Baptist, Nicholls vs. Lamar, SFA vs. McNeese and Central Arkansas vs. Abilene Christian.
The Kats and Northwestern State will duel in another doubleheader Monday night at Johnson with the women tipping off at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 8 p.m.
Tickets for all Sam Houston home basketball games are available online now at www.gobearkats.com .
