Women's Basketball Exhibition Saturday Afternoon
11/6/2015 2:05:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The wait is over for the Sam Houston women's basketball team.
After a month of preseason practice, the Bearkats finally get to take the floor against an opponent as the team plays host to the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in a 3 p.m. exhibition game Saturday at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols and her staff welcome back eight letter winners including four starters from last year's squad that battled through an injury-riddled season.
The return of two All-Southland Conference players and a solid group of veterans to mix in with a talented selection of newcomers has team and coaches alike excited.
“Shernise Robertson led the Southland in scoring last season as a junior and Angela Beadle is back from an injury red-shirt after earned all-conference honors two years ago,” Welch-Nichols said. “What makes me even happier is the nice group of young ladies we have to build around Shernise and Angela. The depth this year is going to change the whole look of our program.”
Other returning letter winners for the Bearkats include seniors Amanda Barnes, Shadijah Moore and Jasmin Anderson, junior Morghen Day and sophomores Saundra Guillory and Angela Delaney.
Jasmine McCants, a transfer post player, and freshmen Kamry Orr, Lydia Baxter, Laurynn McGowen and Ashleigh Cooper also bring a lot to the table for the Kats.
“It's been really exciting in preseason to see the way the team is meshing together,” Welch-Nichols said. “All of players are buying in to what we're trying to accomplish. It's a team effort how we're going to play and how we're going to make things happen.”
Mary Hardin-Baylor will be a good test for the Bearkats. The Crusaders welcome back 12 letter winners and three starters from a team that reached the American Southwest Conference tournament quarterfinals. UMHB has been picked to finish third in the ASC West Division in the league's preseason coaches' poll.
Admission to Saturday's exhibition game is free.
The regular season schedule for Sam Houston begins on Friday November 13 when the Bearkats travel to Fort Worth to take on the TCU Horned Frogs.
The first regular season home game will be Friday November 20 when Sam Houston plays host to Our Lady of the Lake in the annual “Pack the House Game” at Bernard G. Johnson at 11 a.m.
Season tickets for Sam Houston men's and women's basketball games are on sale online now at www.gobearkats.com or at the Sam Houston athletic ticket office located on the west side of the Elliott T. Bowers Stadium complex. The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.
