Women tip off season Friday with talented TCU
11/10/2015 1:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball
TCU, third-place finishers in last year's Big 12 Conference race, will be the first hurdle for the Sam Houston women's basketball team Friday when the Bearkats travel to Fort Worth to open their 2015-16 schedule.
The Kats look to bounce back into contention in this year's Southland Conference race after an injury-plagued season in 2014-15.
Angela Beadle, a 6-3 post player who missed last year with an injury, made her return to the floor Saturday in a 75-59 victory over Mary Hardin-Baylor in a preseason exhibition contest Saturday afternoon. The senior led Sam Houston with 16 points and eight rebounds.
Shernise Robertson, also a senior and a preseason All-Southland pick after leading the league in scoring last year, added 15 points.
What has Sam Houston head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols even more excited than having two all-conference players returning, however, is the supporting cast around Beadle and Robertson.
“We have so much more depth this year,” Welch-Nichols said. “Saundra Guillory, Shadijah Moore and Jasmine McCants bring a lot to the table to our inside game. And we've strengthened our back court as well. Shernise can relax some this year and just concentrate on doing what she does best.”
Freshman guard Kamry Orr scored 14 points in the victory over the Crusaders Saturday. As a team Sam Houston shot 50 percent (27 of 54 from the floor) with 40 points coming in the paint.
The Bearkats will have their hands full in the opener Friday night at TCU when the pair meet at the University Recreation Center.
The Horned Frogs return eight letter-winners, including two All-Conference selections from a year ago. Senior Zahna Medley, a two-time first team All-Conference selection, and senior Veja Hamilton, an honorable mention All-Conference selection, were the team's leading scorers a year ago - posting 15.6 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. Medley earned preseason All-Conference honors again this season with Hamilton taking home an honorable mention selection.
Last year's Frogs won 18 games and secured the program's first postseason win since 2008 with an 85-80 win over Stephen F. Austin in the opening round of the Postseason Women's NIT.
“TCU has an excellent ball club and this will be a real test for us,” Welch-Nichols said. “We've had some good battles with TCU in the past and we're looking forward to getting the regular season started.”
The game is the first of two road games for the Sam Houston women this weekend. Sunday, the Bearkats travel to Fayetteville to take on the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Sam Houston women will open their home schedule with the annual “Pack the House Game” on Friday November 20 when the Kats play host to Our Lady of the Lake.
Season tickets and individual game tickets for Sam Houston men's and women's basketball are available now online at www.gobearkats.com or at the athletic ticket office located on the west side of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium. The ticket office telephone number is (936) 294-1729.
As a special bonus for Bearkat football customers, a ticket stub from any home 2015 Sam Houston football game is redeemable for a general admission seat at either the Bearkat men's home game with Southern Illinois on Saturday, November 21, or the women's contest with LSU-Alexandria on Monday, November 23.
