Sam To Open Homestand Against Sul Ross
12/12/2016 9:32:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Game 10
Monday, Dec. 13 • Huntsville, Texas • 6:30 p.m. CT • Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum (6,100)
Sam Houston State (6-3) vs Sul Ross (4-5)
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HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Coming off a big road win at Southern Illinois on Saturday, the Sam Houston State Bearkats return to Bernard Johnson Coliseum to kick off a stretch of three home games in seven days when it hosts Sul Ross on Tuesday night.
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THE SERIES
Sam Houston is 36-15 all-time against the Lobos, a series that dates back to the 1950-51 season. Most recently the Bearkats took a 109-61 win over Sul Ross last season in Huntsville.
THE LAST TIME OUT
Sam Houston State got 26 points from Chris Galbreath Jr. and scored a big road win with a 79-73 victory over Southern Illinois on Saturday afternoon at SIU Arena.
Galbreath was one of three Bearkatsin double figures, hitting 10 of 15 from the floor in helping Sam Houston shoot a 54.5 percent from the floor.
The Salukis overcame an 18-point first-half deficit to score a win over the Bearkats in Huntsville a year ago, but could not complete the comeback this time, despite cutting a 16-point lead down to as low as three in the second half.
GALBREATH NAMED SOUTHLAND PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Forward Chris Galbreath Jr. was named the Southland Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Monday, the first such honor for Galbreath and the first for a Bearkat this season.
After the Bearkats took a week off for final exams, Galbreath set the curve with 26 points in 27 minutes off the bench in Sam Houston's win at Southern Illinois on Saturday afternoon.
The junior from Chicago, playing in his home state, hit 10 of 15 shots from the floor and six of seven from the foul line in helping the preseason Southland favorites move to 6-3 on the season. Galbreath poured in in 16 points in the first half to propel the Kats to a 42-32 lead at the break. He added 10 more in the second half en route to the 79-73 victory.
FRONTCOURT POWER
The Bearkats had three players reach double-figure scoring against the Salukis, getting 60 of its 79 points from its three-headed frontcourt of Galbreath, Torry Butler and Aurimas Majauskas.
TAKING FROM CHARITY
Senior guard Jovante' Spivey has been a good backcourt spark for the Kats, and has taken full advantage of his trips to the foul line. Spivey is a perfect 16-for-16 to start the season from the charity stripe, helping the Kats to a 72.4 free-throw percentage as a team.
BRINGING BACK THE BULK
Hooten's squad boasts one of the most experienced rosters in the country in 2016-17, returning all five of its starters and each of its top seven scorers. In fact, the Kats return 85.6 percent of its scoring from last year's 18-win team, an average of 64.2 points per game on the roster from a year ago.
SOUTHLAND FAVORITES
When the annual preseason polls came out from the Southland Conference, it was the Bearkats picked to claim the league crown by both the Southland SIDs and coaches. The Kats received six of 13 first-place votes in the coaches' poll and seven in the SID poll, coming just ahead of four-time defending league champion Stephen F. Austin.
MILLENIUMS
Senior Dakarai Henderson went for 14 points against Southern to reach the 1,000-point milestone for his career. The senior is just the 23rd player in Bearkat history to reach the plateau and is 21st on the all-time scoring list. He is also fourth all-time at Sam Houston with 193 for his career. He is just 17 shy of setting a Bearkat career record.
Henderson is likely to not be the last this season to reach the 1,000-point mark. Currently teammates Aurimas Majauskas and Paul Baxter are nearing the mark as well. Majauskas enters Monday's game vs Sul Ross with 969 career points while Baxter is at 918.
WINNING THE TURNOVER BATTLE
The Bearkats are making things happen on the defensive end, forcing 17.0 turnovers per game. That mark is only slightly behind Stephen F. Austin for the best mark in the Southland, and ranks as 24th in the nation. Sam Houston has not lost a turnover battle this season, winning it in 7 of 9 games to date.
THE BUTLER DID IT
Torry Butler has been a bright spot early in the season for Sam Houston State, and already has a pair of double-doubles this season which is halfway to his double-double total from last year when he led the Kats in rebounding in 15 of 32 games as a junior. He posted a new career high with 17 points at SIU, just missing a double-double with nine rebounds.
DEWEY MAKING AN IMPACT
John Dewey III has made an immediate impact on the Bearkats, especially on the offensive end. The transfer guard has led Sam Houston in scoring and/or assists in more than of its games after dishing out 10 assists with just two turnovers at SIU. The Kats are averaging 80.9 points per game since he was inserted into the starting lineup vs Southern.
REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
The 104 points scored by the Bearkats against LeTourneau was the ninth time Sam Houston has cracked the century mark under head coach Jason Hooten. Sam Houston did it twice last season and has had at least two 100-point outings each of the last three years entering 2016-17.
