Bearkats to battle UCA Bears in Arkansas
2/20/2015 1:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
The Sam Houston men's basketball plays the first of four road games remaining on the 2015 regular season schedule Saturday when the Kats take on the UCA Bears in Conway, Arkansas at 4:15 p.m.
Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin stand as the top two teams in the Southland, each seeking to nail down the top two seeds and a bye into the post-season conference tournament semifinals in Katy in March.
Central Arkansas stands at the opposite end of the league table with a 1-22 overall season mark and a 1-11 conference record.
But Sam Houston head coach Jason Hooten knows first-hand just how dangerous the Central Arkansas Bears can be in their den at the Farris Center.
Last year rallied from 10 points down to defeat the SHSU men 80-71 in Conway in a loss that dropped the Bearkats from second to third place in the league. The defeat marked UCA's only win over Sam Houston in men's basketball in 12 meetings.
Sam Houston enters Saturday with a 21-1 overall record, the Bearkats' best start as an NCAA Division I team in the Southland. This year's record ranks as the best since the SHSU men stood 23-3 after 25 games on the way to the 1986 NCAA Division II regionals.
With seven players averaging 7.9 points per game or more, Sam Houston features one of the most balanced attacks in the league. Each of the seven players has led the Kats in scoring in at least one game and all seven have combined to tally double figures in 67 games.
DeMarcus Gatlin (11.5), Jabari Peters (11.5) and Paul Baxter (10.8) all own double-figure scoring averages in Southland play. Gatlin (11.0) and Kaheem Ransom (10.3) average double figures overall for the season.
Jordan Howard, a 5-11 guard, is UCA's top scorer with a 16.1 average. His backcourt partner 6-0 Michael Martin also averages in double figures with 12.0 points per game.
Following Saturday's contest, Sam Houston will continue its road adventures as they travel to face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Saturday Feb. 28.
