Two teams perfect in SLC play meet Saturday
1/9/2015 9:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Riding a five-game winning streak, the Sam Houston men's basketball game takes on New Orleans Saturday night in the Bearkats' first Southland Conference road game of 2015.
The Kats and the Privateers battle at 6:15 p.m. Saturday at Lakefront Arena. Sam Houston stands 10-4 for the year and 2-0 in Southland play. UNO is 5-5 for the season and is 1-0 in the league.
The showdown of the two teams that are both unbeaten in conference action pits the SHSU men against a New Orleans team that is looking for its third win in a row. The Privateers have won four of their last five games.
Sam Houston leads the all-time series with UNO, having won four of the pair's six meetings. The Bearkats defeated the Privateers 81-60 last year in Huntsville.
The Kats opened league action with home wins of 84-78 over Incarnate Word and 75-64 against Northwestern State last week. In both contests, five Bearkats scored in double figures.
Senior guards DeMarcus Gatlin and Kaheem Ransom each are averaging in double figures with scoring means of 11.1 and 10.9, respectively. Junior guard Paul Baxter is the Kats' leading scorer in Southland play, however, with 30 points in the past two games.
Center Michael Holyfield, a 6-11 senior, has totaled 110 boards (7.9 per game) and 38 blocks inside for the Bearkats this year.
New Orleans defeated Lamar 72-67 in its Southland opener. The Privateers overcame a Lamar lead early in the second half to run their home record at Lakefront Arena to 4-0.
Sophomore Christavious Gill is the team's leading scorer, averaging 11.7 points per game. The Privateers' Nate Frye ranks second in the Southland and No. 36 nationally in free throw percentage with an .871 percentage at the foul line.
KSAM 101.7 FM will broadcast the Sam Houston versus New Orleans men's basketball game live in the Walker County area.
Following Saturday's contest, the Bearkat men continue their Louisiana road trip with a contest Monday night at Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond.
