KATY -- Jabari Peters nailed his fifth three-pointer of the game with 59 seconds left to help Sam Houston State survive against A&M-Corpus Christi, 70-67. The win sets up a second consecutive Southland Tournament final against Stephen F. Austin Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
The Bearkats trailed by as many as 10 points but never led by more than three points. The Islanders led for more than 30 minutes of the game. Sam Houston had to rally from early shooting struggles, shooting just 20% in the first half.
“We've got some unbelievable seniors and I just kept telling myself that eventually we were going to make some shots,” Bearkat head coach Jason Hooten said. “We have really been struggling the last couple of weeks. We hadn't been making any shots.”
Peters stepped up and made those shots Friday at the Merrell Center. He finished with a team-high 19 points while also pulling down nine rebounds.
“It felt like all of my shots were wide-open threes,” Peters said. “My teammates found me in great spots. Guys were penetrating and kicking out for me. It's just a great feeling. My teammates believe in me and I'm thankful for this team.”
Dakarai Henderson hit the game-tying shot with 2:11 left to play. The sophomore guard made a layup and completed the three-point play with a free throw to knot the game at 65. Henderson finished with 11 points.
Senior Michael Holyfield finished the game with 12 points and 14 rebounds. He hit 8-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Kaheem Ransom went the first 39 minutes of the game without scoring, but went to the line in the closing seconds and made two clutch free-throws to ice the game.
Freshman Jamal Williams played a big part, scoring eight points off the bench. Midway through the second half he scored six straight points for the Bearkats to keep the game close. Demarcus Gatlin and Paul Baxter each scored seven points.
Peters scored the Bearkats first points of the second half with a 3-pointer. But the Kats got into quick foul trouble as Holyfield was immediately sent to the bench after picking up three fouls in the first minute of the second half.
A 6-0 run capped by a three-point play by Paul Baxter gave SHSU a 40-39 lead, their first since halfway through the first period. The Islanders fought right back and retook the lead. Three straight fouls were called in quick succession on Demarcus Gatlin, sending him to the bench alongside Holyfield.
Jamal Williams came off the bench to score six straight points for the Bearkats to keep the game close, 56-52, with less than nine minutes to play.
The Bearkats started the contest shooting just 1-of-10 from the field. The only Bearkat basket in the first five minutes of the game was a dunk by Michael Holyfield off of an inbounds play. He scored the Kats first five points of the game with the dunk and three free throws.
Aurimas Majauskas scored the Bearkats only other basket through the first seven minutes. A&M-Corpus extended its lead to 13-7 on a controversial goaltending call. Baxter appeared to make a great block at the rim but the referee ruled that the ball was on the way down.
After opening the game 0-for-6 from three-point range, Dakarai Henderson finally buried the Kats first trey with 10:29 left in the first half. Kaheem Ransom followed Henderson's 3-pointer with one of his own, getting the game back to one possession 15-13 with 7:54 left in the opening period.
Holyfield made a pair of free-throws to knot the game up, 15-15, for the first time since the opening minute.
Jabari Peters nailed a 3-pointer to give the Bearkats their first lead of the ballgame, 18-15, completing an 11-0 run by Sam Houston.
The Islanders regained the lead, 21-20, on a jumper in the lane by Joe Kilgore just before the final media timeout of the first half. The basket fueled a 12-0 run by A&M-Corpus in which they grew their lead to 29-20 at halftime.
