Women meet first place Wildcats in rematch
2/9/2016 6:43:00 PM | Women's Basketball
The Sam Houston women's basketball team takes on Southland Conference leader Abilene Christian Wednesday night in a rematch of the pair's first meeting in Huntsville on January 21.
ACU won 87-76 to keep the Cats unbeaten in league action. Since then, however, ACU suffered its first conference loss to Lamar 63-54 in Beaumont January 30. Abilene Christian bounced back to defeat Southeastern Louisiana on the Lions' home floor to up the Wildcats record to 19-2 for the year and 10-1 in the Southland.
In the contest in Huntsville, Suzzy Dimba and Sydney Shelstead led ACU with 22 and 21 points, respectively. Shernise Robertson scored 21 for the Kats. Angela Beadle and Kamry Orr each added 14 points. Five Abilene Christian players are averaging in double figures in league play. Alexis Mason leads the team with a 20.7 average.
Sam Houston and Abilene Christian will be meeting for the sixth time when the contest tips off at ACU's Moody Coliseum Wednesday at 7 p.m. Abilene Christian owns a 4-1 advantage over the Bearkats. The Sam women's only victory came last year in Abilene in a 63-58 contest.
The Bearkats will be attempting to bounce back from an 81-71 loss to A&M-Corpus Christi last Saturday afternoon at the Islanders' homecoming game Saturday afternoon. Robertson scored 28 points but the Islanders' deadeye shooting from beyond the arc (11 treys) proved the difference.
Beadle now ranks No. 9 in Sam Houston women's career scoring (1,173 points). She needs eight points to pass Brittany Brooks (1,180 in 2007-10). Beadle stands as the Kats' career leader in blocks(163). Beadle ranks No. 3 in Kat career rebounds (891).
Robertson has climbed to No. 16 in Sam Houston all-time scoring with 903 points. Her career average of 18.8 points per game is tied as the best in Bearkat women's annals. Sherry Pfister averaged 18.8 points from 1980 to 1983. Sam Houston head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols averaged 17.8 points from 1988 to 1989.
Sam Houston brings an 8-13 record into the contest. The Bearkat women stand in eighth place in the league standings with a 4-7 record. The contest will end a grueling five game road swing for the Kats. The last time Sam Houston played at home was against ACU in January.
“It's always a tough grind on the road in the Southland Conference,” Sam Houston head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols said. “But these girls keep on fighting.”
Four freshmen are making their mark for the Bearkat women this season. Two are starting. Guards Laurynn McGowen and Kamry Orr are the team's third and fourth leading scorers with averages of 7.5 and 7.4, respectively. Freshmen 6-1 Ashleigh Cooper and 5-10 Lydia Baxter have been playing well inside. Jasmine McCants, a 6-0 junior transfer from Alabama Southern Community College, is also seeing action at the post. She has pulled down 56 rebounds in her 19 appearances.
Sam Houston will play five of its final six games of the regular season at home in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum. The Bearkats return home to play host to Houston Baptist Saturday at 2 p.m.
