First of two key road games Thursday at Lamar
3/4/2015 12:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Sam Houston faces two challenging road games in the next three days.
The Bearkats take on Lamar in Beaumont Thursday and defending league champion Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches on Saturday. Victories in both games would mean SFA and Sam Houston would share the 2015 title.
But both games will be battles.
Lamar enters Thursday's 7:30 p.m. contest at the Montagne Center with a 15-14 overall. However, the Cardinals are 12-1 at home.
First place Stephen F. Austin was responsible for the lone home loss, defeating the Cardinals 82-65 on January 26. Since then Lamar was rolled off four consecutive home wins over Abilene Christian 84-74, Houston Baptist 72-64, McNeese State 58-53 and Incarnate Word 79-66.
Anthony Holliday leads the Cardinals with 14.5 points per game.
Sam Houston guards DeMarcus Gatlin (11.1) and Kaheem Ransom (10.03) own the Bearkats' top averages for the season. Also averaging above 8.0 points are Jabari Peters (9.1), Dakarai Henderson (8.9), Michael Holyfield (8.6), Paul Baxter (8.4) and Aurimas Majauskas (8.0).
Sam Houston is averaging 29.3 bench points per contest this season. Top players off the bench include Henderson, Majauskas and freshman guard Jamal Williams.
The Bearkats lead the Southland Conference in scoring defense (58.1), scoring margin (+16.9), field goal percentage defense (.379) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.313). The Kats have held opponents to 50 or less points in eight games. The SHSU men are averaging 17.2 points per game on opponent turnovers.
The Kats also stand atop the Southland in rebounding offense (58.1) and rebounding margin (+8.1) for the year. Michael Holyfield, Sam Houston's 6-11 senior center, stands third in the league individually with rebounds, with 8.0 per game.
Holyfield needs nine more blocks to set a new season Bearkat mark. Eddy Fobbs holds the school record with 79 blocks during Sam Houston's 2003 championship season. Holyfield ranks second behind Fobbs in career blocks for the SHSU men. Fobbs blocked 267 shots from 2001 to 2005. Holyfield's career total of 176 blocks stands No. 2 in Kat annals.
Sam Houston defeated Lamar 79-50 in the pair's first meeting in Huntsville on February 2.
Ransom scored 18 points to lead Sam Houston State. The Bearkats never trailed in the game. Four other Bearkat players scored in double figures. Baxter, Holyfield and Majauskas each scored 11 points. Holyfield also pulled down 11 rebounds. Henderson added 10 points.
