Shernise Robertson scored 24 points, 16 coming in the second half, to lead the Sam Houston women's basketball team to a 65-60 victory over Incarnate Word in the Southland Conference opener for both teams Saturday in San Antonio.
Angela Beadle added 18 points and led the Bearkats with 12 rebounds. The performance made the senior center from Austin the 15th Sam Houston women's basketball player to score 1,000 career points. Her career total now stands at 1,002.
Down 31-24 at halftime, Sam Houston outscored the Cardinals 17-7 in the third period to take a lead the Bearkats never gave up as they upped their season record to 5-6. Incarnate Word, led by Arika Adams with 15 points, drops to 3-9.
“We talked in the locker room about how we have to play as a team to be successful,” Sam Houston head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols said. “Everyone stepped up in the second half and we got 2016 off to a great start. This is our third win on the road this season and that's something that should give us a lot of confidence as we continue in the Southland Conference.”
Robertson went 10-of-18 from the floor including a pair of three-pointers. After shooting just 33 percent from the floor in the first half (9-of-27) the Sam women upped their percentage to 58 per cent in the second 20 minutes (15-of-26).
Laurynn McGowen scored nine points including four important free throws in the final 50 seconds. Amanda Barnes and Kamry Orr each scored five points.
“It was a team effort,” Welch-Nichols said. “That's the only way we're going to be successful in the Southland Conference. Our coaching staff has really done a great job of working with the players and bringing them together as a team.”
Sam Houston led for more than 11 minutes in the first half. Robertson's layup after a steal three minutes into the contest put the Kats up 5-0 for the squad's biggest lead of the opening half. The Bearkats held a one point margin, 13-12, after the first period and were ahead 22-19 with 5:22 remaining in the second quarter after two free throws by Beadle.
Incarnate Word got hot in the last five minutes of the half, going on a 12-2 run to go into the locker room at intermission with a 31-24 lead. Sam Houston hit nine of 27 shots in the first half. UIW outscored the Kats 19 to 11 in the second quarter.
After surrendering two baskets to UIW in the opening minute of the third quarter, the Sam women rallied with a 13-0 run to take a 37-35 lead with 2:47 left in the period. Robertson scored eight of the 13 points, then picked up six more points on two free throws and a pair of layups to give the Kats up 41-38 at the end of the period.
The Sam women led by nine points three times in the fourth period, but the Cardinals fought back to cut the margin to two, 62-60 on a pair of free throws by Brianna Williams with 21 seconds remaining.
Laurynn McGowen hit two free throws and Beadle, after a defensive rebound, converted one of two free throws to wrap up the victory.
The Bearkat women take on Northwestern State Monday night in Natchitoches, La, in their next outing.
