Turnovers cost Kats in 85-68 exhibition loss
11/6/2016 5:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Sam Houston State women's basketball was plagued by turnovers could not slow down Our Lady of the Lake, falling 85-68 in the lone exhibition of the season on Sunday afternoon at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Three Sam Houston players scored in double-digits led by returner Jasmine McCants who finished with a double-double including 14 points and 12 rebounds in 25 minutes of action. Newcomers Jenniffer Oramas and Ann Nwosah added 13 points each.
Rachel Harrell tallied six rebounds and three assists while adding four points. Morghen Day (2 of 5) and Tia Harston (2 of 4) each finished with six points in 33 minutes and 19 minutes respectively. Harston led the Kats with four assists and hauled in five rebounds.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Our Lady of the Lake jumped out to a quick start, taking an 11-4 lead on a Nakia Page 3-pointer. Page added another bucket midway through the opening quarter to make it 21-9 in favor of the Saints but Sam Houston would battle back.
The Bearkats went on an 11-0 run capped by a McCants jumper with 49 seconds remaining in the opening frame to cut the deficit to two where it stood through the end of the first quarter.
It did not take the Saints long to regain a commanding lead, pushing the Sam Houston deficit to 11 on a run of their own for a 41-30 advantage with 6:06 remaining the second quarter. A 3-pointer from Oramas trimmed the Our Lady of the Lake lead to five with 3:47 in the second but the Kats could not draw any closer.
Our Lady of the Lake outscored the Bearkats 21-14 in the second quarter and did not let up in the third running its lead to 22 on a pair of occasions before entering the final 10 minutes with a 20-point edge.
Sam Houston outscored the Saints 17-14 in the final frame, climbing back as far as 13 points down on a Harston layup with 5:33 left. Four minutes later, Our Lady of the Lake pushed its advantage back to 20 points to provide the final dagger in a 17-point victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Our Lady of the Lake's Quintianna LeShore posted a game-high 28 points thanks to an 11-of-16 afternoon. She accounted for five of the Saints six made 3-pointers, finishing 5-of-6 from behind the paint in 29 minutes of play.
KEY STAT
Sam Houston turned the ball over 29 times, resulting in 33 Our Lady of the Lake points. The Saints committed 17 turnovers of their own but the Kats were only able to cash in 12 points. The Bearkats, playing with a largely new squad, saw strong bench production, outscoring the Saints 27-12.
UP NEXT
The Bearkats open regular season play on Friday with a visit to Arkansas. The 10:30 a.m. game will streamed online through SEC Network Plus on ESPN3 and is available on the WatchESPN app. The matchup will be the first of two road tilts against Power 5 programs before returning to Johnson Coliseum on Nov. 18 to take on Wiley College.
