After two of the first three contests in the 2016 Southland Conference Tournament in Katy went to double overtime, the No. 7 seeded Sam Houston women started their first round game with Nicholls as if they wanted to leave no doubt what the outcome would be.
Led by Shernise Robertson with 20 points, the Bearkats raced out to a 17-5 lead in the opening six minutes of a 73-64 victory over the No. 5 seeded Colonels to advance to a quarterfinal matchup with No. 3 seed Stephen F. Austin at 1:30 p.m. Friday afternoon at the Leonard E. Merrell Center.
The result avenged a 67-63 loss to Nicholls in Huntsville January 13 in the Bearkats' third game of the 2016 Southland campaign. The win ups Sam Houston's record to 12-17.
“We're just happy to be back in Katy after three years,” Sam Houston head coach Brenda Welch-Nichols said. “We've been talking about this all year. This team started coming together at the end of conference and that's because our two senior leaders, Shernise Robertson and Angela Beadle, took this team on their back and got them going. These two are difference makers. They showed that today.”
Robertson went 6-of-13 from the field including five three pointers. Two of the treys came late in the game to snuff out a Colonel rally. Beadle totaled 14 points. She and Jasmine McCants each pulled down 11 points. McCants and Kamy Orr scored 13 points apiece.
“The great thing about this team right now is that some one different steps up every game,” Welch-Nichols said. “Today it was Jasmine McCants.”
The Sam women never trailed in the contest, running out to a 20-10 first quarter lead and going into the locker room at intermission up 36-21. The Bearkats' biggest lead was 19 points after a bucket by Jasmine McCants to complete a 12-1 run during a five-minute period late in the second quarter.
The Kats hit 41 percent from the field (15-of-37) while holding the Colonels to only 26 percent (9-of-35) in the opening 20 minutes.
Nicholls closed the gap momentarily, starting the third quarter with a 9-0 to pull within six, 36-30, on a free throw by Mariana Lilly. A three-pointer by Robertson ended the threat and Sam Houston had roared back in front 55-42 at the period's end.
The Colonels made one last run at the Kats, cutting the margin to five, 63-58 with 3:10 to play after a pair of free throws by Hope Pawlowski. A three-pointer and two free throw makes by Robertson ended the run.
“Stephen F. Austin is our biggest rival,” Welch-Nichols said. “They swept us this year. We're ready for a rematch tomorrow.”
