Cowboys Next for Bearkat men Saturday on road
1/15/2016 9:28:00 AM | Men's Basketball
SAM HOUSTON (9-8, SLC 4-0) versus McNEESE STATE (2-11, SLC 0-3)
Saturday, January 16 –3 p.m. – Lake Charles, La.
Radio: KSAM 101.7 FM live play-by-play
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
The Sam Houston men are back on the road for an important Southland Conference duel with McNeese State Saturday at 3 p.m. in Burton Coliseum. Five of the Bearkats' next eight games will be away from home.
BEARKATS 4-0 IN SOUTHLAND CONFERENCE PLAY
Sam Houston is 4-0 to open Southland Conference play for the fourth time in the Bearkats' 29 years in the league. The Kats posted road wins at Incarnate Word and Northwestern State and a home victories over New Orleans and Southeastern La. The previous 4-0 starts were in 2003, 2010 and 2015. The 2010 squad opened with 11 consecutive conference wins on the way to a league title. Last year's Bearkats went 6-0 before a loss to SFA. The 2003 team started 4-0 before a loss at Southwest Texas but bounced back to win the league championship.
BEARKATS VERSUS COWBOYS ALL-TIME SERIES
Sam Houston and McNeese State are meeting for the 67th time in men's basketball. The Cowboys lead the series 37 victories to 29. The Bearkats have won three of the last four meetings including a 69-60 victory in Sam Houston last year.
SOUTHLAND LEADERS
Dakarai Henderson and Aurimas Majauskas rank 12th and 13th in scoring in the Southland with respective averages of 14.1 and 13.9 points. Torry Butler is the league's fourth-leading rebounder with 6.8 boards per contest. Jamal Williams stands seventh in the league in assists with 76 this season.
THREE 2015 RESERVES NOW IN STARTING ROLES
Aurimas Majauskas, a 6-8 junior post player who was the back-up to Southland “Defensive Player of the Year” Michael Holyfield last season; Dakarai Henderson, a 6-2 junior guard who was the first player off the bench in 2015 and Jamal Williams, a 6-4 sophomore guard who also was a key reserve, all have stepped into starting roles this season. Majauskas and Williams has started every game and Henderson has started all but one contest.
The trio has accounted for 37.2 of Sam Houston's 75.4 points per game this season. Majauskas leads the team with a 14.1 average and Henderson adds 13.9 per game. The pair have each posted 10 double-figure games. Williams has taken over as the Kats' point guard. He averages 9.2 points and leads the team with 76 assists.
NEWCOMERS PLAYING IMPORTANT ROLES
Six new players (one freshman and five transfers) are seeing plenty of action for the Bearkats. The newcomers include junior college transfers 6-1 Jalin Barnes (Barton County), 6-5 Torry Butler (Three Rivers Community College), 6-8 Andre Sands (Casper College) and 6-0 Jovante' Spivey (South Georgia State). Marc Fortin, a 6-9 freshman from Quebec City, Quebec, also joins the squad. Butler is the team's rebound leader with 6.8 boards per game. Spivey and Butler are averaging 6.9 and 6.8 points per game. Two red-shirt freshmen are contributing as well as 6-6 Albert Almanza and 6-0 Josh Delaney have made big plays coming off the bench.
McNEESE STATE SCOUTING REPORT
Jamaya Barnes, a 6-0 junior guard, leads the Cowboys with 14.6 points per game. Craig McFerrin, a 6-7 senior center, leads the McNeese inside game with 6.9 rebounds and 8.9 points. The Cowboys' three losses in Southland action have come against the league's front runners as McNeese has fallen 86-57 at Stephen F. Austin, 82-73 at Houston Baptist and 77-68 versus A&M-Corpus Christi in Burton Coliseum.
CHALLENGING NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Road games at SMU, California, Texas Tech, UTEP and North Texas and a tournament match-up with UC-Irvine made up the Bearkats' challenging non-conference schedule. Sam Houston completed pre-Southland play with a 5-8 record. Sam Houston defeated Bethune-Cookman 71-46 in Las Vegas, picked up a road victory at LIU-Brooklyn 75-69 and took Southern Illinois to overtime at home in other action against NCAA Division I opponents.
COACH HOOTEN SAYS
“The close call we had with Southeastern Louisiana last Monday shows you can't take anyone lightly in the Southland regardless of their record. Burton Coliseum is always a tough place to play and McNeese will be ready for us. We have to keep playing with a lot of intensity. Our kids have done a great job of preparing well and playing hard. As we enter a really tough stretch now, that's what we have to keep doing every game.”
