Kats vs. Islanders Doubleheader on ESPN3
2/26/2016 7:46:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Sam Houston will meet in a doubleheader with post-season implications in both the women's and men's contests at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum Saturday.
The games will be telecast on ESPN3. The men tip at 7:05 p.m. while the women start things off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday.
ESPN3 is ESPN's live multi-screen sports network. It is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN and ESPN apps, plus streamed on televisions through Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.
The number two seed and the double-bye that the runner-up finish carries into the semifinals of the Southland Conference Tournament in Katy March 9-12 is the goal of both the Islander and Bearkat men's teams in the nightcap Saturday. The third and fourth place finishers in the regular season final standings get a bye into the quarterfinals.
A&M-Corpus Christi currently holds second place in the men's standings with a 12-3 league record. Sam Houston is in third with a 10-4 mark. The Islanders are 21-6 for the season while the Bearkats have rolled up a 15-12 record overall.
The Islanders defeated the Bearkats 51-48 in the pair's first meeting this year on Feb. 6 in Corpus Christi. The Sam men fought back from a 10-point deficit in the second half to take a one-point lead with 3:05 remaining. The Kats did not score again, getting only three shots the rest of the way.
Dakarai Henderson led Sam Houston with 20 points. Bryce Duvier led the Islanders with 10 points as the Kat defense held A&M-Corpus Christi 29 points below their average.
Henderson and Aurimas Majauskas continue to lead the Bearkats in scoring this year. Majauskas is averaging 14.4 points per game while Henderson adds 14.0. Majauskas and Torry Butler rank as the Kats' top rebounds, both with 5.7 boards per game.
Rashawn Thomas, a 6-8 junior forward, is the Islanders' offensive threat, averaging 17.4 points per contest. He also leads A&M-Corpus Christi under the boards with 8.5 rebounds per game.
The women's game at 4:30 p.m. also is a showdown for two teams with post-season hopes. Only eight teams earn berths in the Southland Tournament at the Ferrell Center. Right now A&M-Corpus Christi (6-9), Lamar (6-10) and Sam Houston (5-10) are battling for the final two spots in the field. The Bearkats play both teams on their home floor in their next two outings.
The A&M-Corpus Christi women defeated Sam Houston 81-71 in the pair's first meeting Feb. 6 on the road. Shay Weaver scored 21 points to lead the Islanders while Shernise Robertson paced the Kats with 28 points.
Robertson again is leading the Southland Conference in scoring with an 18.0 average. The senior guard is 18 points away from becoming the 16th Bearkat woman to total 1,000 career points. Joining Sam Houston as a transfer from Tyler Junior College last year, Robertson will stand as the first SHSU women's basketball player to score 1,000 points in just two years. Her career average of 18.9 points is tops in Bearkat women's annals.
KSAM 101.7 FM will broadcast the men's game live at 6:50 p.m. while KHVL 104.9 FM will carry the women's game starting at 4:30 p.m.
Next action for the Bearkat men will be a rematch with Central Arkansas Monday in Conway. The Sam Houston men will finish the regular season with home games versus Lamar on Thursday March 3 and Stephen F. Austin on Saturday March 5.
The women have two home games remaining, taking on Lamar on Wednesday, March 2 and SFA in a doubleheader with the men starting at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 5.
Tickets for the Southland Conference Tournament at the Ferrell Center in Katy are on sale now online at www.gobearkats.com .
