Shernise Robertson scored 16 points to lead Sam Houston in an 83-49 loss to Texas Sunday afternoon at the Erwin Center in Austin as both women's basketball teams completed their non-conference schedules.
Ranked No. 5 nationally, the Longhorns upped their record to 11-0, the first time in Texas women's basketball history the program has opened consecutive seasons with 11 straight wins. Sam Houston finished its non-conference schedule with a 4-6 mark.
The Sam women begin Southland Conference action with a pair of road games Saturday January 2 and Monday January 4 against Incarnate Word in San Antonio and Northwestern State in Natchitoches, La., respectively.
Kamry Orr and Laurynn McGowen each added seven points for the Bearkats. All thirteen Sam Houston players saw action in the contest.
“We played a lot of folks today, getting everyone some playing time,” head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols. “This was our last non-conference game. Today was about growing as a team and getting ready to start the Southland schedule.”
Sam Houston's only lead came on a jumper by Robertson a minute and 48 seconds into the game to put the Kats up 2-1. The Longhorns surged ahead with a 13-0 run to build a 14-2 lead with 3:23 remaining in the opening period.
Baskets by Jasmine McCants and Angela Delaney and a pair of free throws by Robertson fueled a 6-2 run by Sam Houston to end the first period with the Kats trailing by eight, 16-8.
Laurynn McGowen opened the second period with a jumper to pull Sam Houston within six, 16-10. Sam Houston did not score again for the next eight minutes as the Horns took control with an 18-0 run. McGowen ended the scoreless streak with the Sam women's first three-pointer of the contest and Robertson added a pair of free throws in the half's final 43 seconds to cut the UT margin to 36-17 at halftime.
A key in the opening period was the Longhorns scoring 19 points off the Bearkats' 18 turnovers in the opening 20 minutes.
“We were rushing the ball too much,” Welch-Nichols said. “We needed to settle down and run our offense.”
The Horns out-scored the Kats 21-11 in the third period and 26-21 in the fourth. For the game, Texas out-scored Sam Houston 52-14 in the paint and chalking up 28 points on fast breaks. Sam Houston gave up 11 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.
Texas went 32-of-62 from the field (51.6 percent) for the game while Sam Houston hit 16-of-50 (32.0 percent). Robertson, Kamry Orr and McGowen each hit a three-point basket for the Kats.
Sam Houston's first home Southland Conference game will be Thursday January 7 at 6:30 p.m. when the Kats play host to Southeastern Louisiana in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum
