Kats must bounce back Monday night at Lamar
1/31/2016 1:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
KATS VISIT THE CARDINALS MONDAY NIGHT
At the mid-point of the 2016 Southland race and on the second leg of a three-game road swing, Sam Houston takes on Lamar Monday night. The Bearkats stand in fifth place in the Southland Conference race with a 6-3 league mark. Lamar is in 10th. The Cardinals are 2-7 in conference action.
RADIO
KSAM 101.7 FM will carry live play-by-play of Monday's action. Tipoff Monday night is at 7 p.m. at the Montagne Center in Beaumont.
BEARKATS VERSUS CARDINALS ALL-TIME SERIES
In a series that began in 1951, Sam Houston leads Lamar with 32 victories to the Cardinals' 30. The Kats own a 10-game winning streak in the series after sweeping both games last year 79-50 in Huntsville and 67-61 in Beaumont. Lamar's last victory came in 2009 with a 60-57 win in Huntsville.
LAMAR SCOUTING REPORT
The Cardinals stand 10-11 for the year but own a 7-4 record this season on their home floor at the Montagne Center. Nick Garth leads the LU men with 14.5 points per game. Dontavious Sears is the team's top rebounder with 5.6 boards per contest.
LAST TIME OUT
Sam Houston fell 70-69 at Houston Baptist Saturday night at a packed Sharp Gymnasium. After falling behind 21-8 in the first half, the Bearkats rallied build a six-point lead in the second half. A late free throw proved to be the difference for the Huskies. Dakarai Henderson led the Kats with 16 points.
Lamar lost to Abilene Christian at ACU's Moody Coliseum Saturday 80-71. Dorian Chatman led the Cardinals with a season best 24 points. Marcus Owens added 12 points. Abilene Christian led for 36 minutes in the contest.
SOUTHLAND LEADERS
Aurimas Majauskas and Dakarai Henderson rank 11th and 12th in scoring in the Southland with respective averages of 14.4 and 13.5 points. Majauskas stands No. 8 in the league in field goal pct. (.544). Torry Butler is No. 9 in league rebounds with 6.2 boards per contest. Jamal Williams stands No. 7 in the league in assists with 4.5 per game this season.
FIELD GOAL PCT. DEFENSE KEY STATISTIC
A key statistic relating to Bearkat success this season is field goal percentage defense. With a 6-3 league mark, Sam Houston stands third in the SLC in field goal pct. defense mark of .429 in Southland games. For the year, Sam Houston has limited foes to .392 from the field in the Kats 11 victories. In the Sam men's losses, opponents have hit .482.
THREE 2015 RESERVES NOW STARTERS FOR 2016 KATS
Aurimas Majauskas, a 6-8 junior post player; Dakarai Henderson, a 6-2 junior guard and Jamal Williams, a 6-4 sophomore guard all have stepped into starting roles this season after playing as reserves in 2014-15. Majauskas and Williams has started every game and Henderson has started all but one contest. The trio has accounted for 36.9 of Sam Houston's 74.9 points per game this season.
Majauskas owns 14.4 average, Henderson 13.5 and Williams 9.2. Majauskas and Henderson both have scored in double figures 15 times.
With preseason All-Southland Paul Baxter and junior transfer Ameer Jackson both out with season-ending injuries, Williams has taken over point guard duties. The sophomore averages 4.4 assists.
RED-SHIRT FRESHMEN MAKING THEIR MARK
Two red-shirt freshmen, 6-6 Albert Almanza and 6-0 Josh Delaney, have stepped up for the Kats. Almanza scored 13 points and pulled down five rebounds in his first college start in an 87-76 victory over Nicholls Jan. 18. Almanza has averaged 8-8 points in Southland action. Both can score from beyond the arc. Almanza is 36-of-82 (.439) and Delaney is 26-of-69 (.377) from three-point range for the year.
FOUR TRANSFERS FINDING ROLES AS BEARKATS
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) have stepped in for the Sam men this season. Butler leads the Kats with 6.2 rebounds per game and owns a 6.2 scoring average. He has started 17 contests this season and is averaging 21.8 minutes per game.
Spivey is the team's fourth-leading scorer with a 8.0 average. A starter in Sam Houston's last 12 tilts, he totaled a season best 18 points in the Jan. 25 victory over ACU. Barnes and Sands averaged 4.1 and 3.7 points, respectively. Barnes is averaging 20.6 minutes per game and has started 12 times. Sands has pulled down 39 rebounds in a reserve role this season.
CANADIAN IS LONE TRUE FRESHMAN
Marc Fortin, a 6-9 post player from Quebec City, Quebec with a bright future is the only true freshman on the squad this season. Fortin is averaging 7.6 minutes per game and has totaled 41 points and 33 rebounds.
BENCH HAS PLAYED IMPORTANT ROLE
Sam Houston is averaging 23.5 bench points per game this season. Nine players on the roster are averaging more than 14 minutes per game playing time.
FOUR WINS ON THE ROAD THIS SEASON
The Sam men will be seeking their fifth victory outside of Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum this season when they face Lamar in Beaumont Saturday. Sam's victories at UIW and Northwestern State to start the 2016 Southland Conference season marked the team's third and fourth wins away from home this season.
COACH JASON HOOTEN SAYS
"We have to quit digging ourselves into early holes on the road. We have to be focused from the opening tip. And we can't give teams second chances, especially on the road. We've got to bounce back from the loss at Houston Baptist. This team has shown they have the ability to do that. It won't be easy down at Lamar."
NEXT UP FOR THE BEARKATS
Sam Houston will complete its three-game Southland road swing this Saturday with a trip to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The game will be the nightcap in a men's and women's league doubleheader.
