Men play host to Sul Ross Sunday at 2 p.m.
12/5/2015 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
With three of their last four games on the road, the Sam Houston men's basketball team has another opportunity to play at home in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Sunday when the Bearkats play host to Sul Ross.
Tipoff for the contest is 2 p.m. The Lobos from Alpine, Texas, and Sam Houston were rivals in the Lone Star Conference back in the Kats' NAIA days. The pair have not played each other in basketball since 1976. Sam Houston won 35 of the two program's 50 meetings on the hardwood between 1951 and 1976.
Sam Houston has notched two victories this season, defeating Saint Thomas 114-92 in the Kats' home opener Nov. 17 and downing Bethune-Cookman in Las Vegas Nov. 27.
Juniors Dakarai Henderson and Aurimas Majauskas led the Bearkats in scoring with averages of 14.1 and 11.9 points per game. Junior Torry Butler adds 8.1 points and leads Sam Houston with eight boards per contest.
Head coach Jason Hooten and his staff lost four starters from last year's 26-9 Southland Conference runner-up squad. Each of the starters earned all-conference honors. In addition, Sam Houston's only returning starter Paul Baxter and junior transfer Ameer Jackson are out with injuries.
“We're working to get better every game, especially on defense,” Hooten said. “There have been positives. Last Wednesday at Texas Tech we got off to a bad start, but got out-scored by only one point the rest of the way.”
A bright spot for the Bearkats has been the play of red-shirt freshman Josh Delaney who scored a season high eight points at Tech.
“I am real proud of Josh because right now he probably wouldn't be playing if Paul wasn't hurt,” Hooten said. “He is taking advantage of his opportunities. One thing he has done a good job of is when he makes a mistake and comes out, he gathers himself and learns from it. He can really shoot the ball and he'll keep getting better.”
Jamal Williams, with Henderson and Majauskas a returning player who saw plenty of action as a reserve last year, is adding 6.7 points a game to the Kats' offense. Transfer Jalin Barnes is averaging 25.7 minutes as a starter and leads the team with 22 assist.
Sul Ross is led by 6-0 guard Rocky Feliciano who is averaging 12.5 points per game. Jacob Caloss, his backcourt mate, adds 10.3 points per contest. Forward Caleb Thompson leads the Lobos in rebounds with a 6.5 average.
Sunday's contest is the first of two home games book-ended around finals week for the Bearkats. Sam Houston plays host to LeTourneau on Monday December 14.
The Kats will be on the road throughout the rest of December, heading to face LIU-Brooklyn in New York on Friday, December 18, then participating in the Sun Bowl Classic Monday and Tuesday, December 21 and 22 and ending non-conference action at North Texas in Denton Tuesday, December 29.
Sam Houston begins Southland Conference action on Saturday, January 2 with a trip to San Antonio to play Incarnate Word.
