Sam Houston challenges Texas Tech Wednesday
12/1/2015 9:40:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Sam Houston men's basketball team takes on another tough opponent on the road as the Bearkats travel to Lubbock to face Texas Tech at 8 p.m. Wednesday at United Supermarkets Arena.
Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CT, and the game will be televised by FOX Sports Southwest Plus along with the FOX Sports Go app.
The Red Raiders are 4-1 this year with wins over High Point, Mississippi State, Minnesota and Hawaii. Tech's only loss was to Utah.
Already this year, Sam Houston has battled two top 20 teams in SMU and California.
The Bearkats, now 2-4, will be without the services of two key players Wednesday as both senior Paul Baxter and junior Ameer Jackson are injured. Baxter is the lone returning starter from last season's 26-9 squad. Jackson was averaging 24.8 minutes and 11.0 points per game as a junior transfer.
Wednesday's game marks the seventh men's basketball meeting between Sam Houston and Texas Tech. The Bearkats have defeated the Red Raiders twice, winning 69-65 in Lubbock in 2001 and 56-54 at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum in 2007.
Three players who saw action as top reserves last year are leading the Bearkats this winter. Junior guard Dakarai Henderson is averaging 15.2 points per game. Junior center Aurimas Majauskas owns a 12.3 scoring mean. He scored 20 points in the Kats' victory over Bethune-Cookman in Las Vegas last Friday. Sophomore guard Jamal Williams adds 7.2 points per game.
Torry Butler leads the Bearkats in rebounding with 7.8 boards per game. He also is averaging 8.0 points a contest. Jalin Barnes leads Sam Houston with 18 assists and has scored 4.7 points per outing. Jovante' Spivey adds 6.5 points per game and is shooting 44 percent from beyond the arc.
Two freshmen post players, red-shirt Albert Almanza and true freshman Marc Fortin, have been contributing under the boards as well. Almanza has totaled 28 points with six three-pointers while Fortin has pulled down 20 rebounds and scored 21 points in the first six games.
The Red Raiders have turned in a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging more than 7.0 points per game. Devaugntah Williams leads Texas Tech with 18.8 points per game. Zach Smith adds 10.5 points and Toddrick Gotcher owns a 10.3 scoring mean.
Following Wednesday's match-up in Lubbock, the Bearkats will return home to Huntsville to play host to Sul Ross Sunday at 2 p.m. at Johnson Coliseum.
