Men face Lamar Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
3/2/2016 5:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Nine of the last 11 years, Sam Houston men's basketball has finished among the top three teams in the Southland Conference regular season standings.
Attempting to nail down their 10th league top three finish since 2005 – and the first round tournament bye that goes with it next week in Katy – Sam Houston plays host to Lamar Thursday night in a 6:30 p.m. single game at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
With an 11-5 league record after Monday's victory at Central Arkansas, Sam Houston owns a one-game lead over Houston Baptist (10-6) in the competition for the number three seed at the Merrill Center in Katy next week. The Bearkats play their final two games at home, finishing the regular season with Stephen F. Austin Saturday at 7:05 p.m.
Lamar will be a dangerous opponent. The Cardinals own victories this season over McNeese State, Northwestern State and Nicholls. Sam Houston defeated Lamar by only three points, 69-66, in their first meeting on Feb. 1 in Beaumont. The Bearkats led by 22 points with 14:13 remaining but the Cardinals narrowed the gap to just one point with 16 seconds remaining. Jamal Williams hit two free throws with seven seconds left to clinch the victory.
“Our game Monday at Central Arkansas showed that nothing is going to come easily at this time of the year,” Sam Houston head coach Jason Hooten said. The Bearkats had beaten UCA 105-75 a week earlier in Huntsville. But five minutes into Monday's game in Conway, Central Arkansas led by 10 points. The Kats trailed by three with six minutes to play but pulled out the victory with some last minute heroics.
Dakarai Henderson scored 28 points including five three-pointers. Torry Butler pulled down 10 big rebounds and Albert Almanza and Jovante' Spivey also hit some big three-pointers and free throws to clinch the win in the final minutes.
“We fought through some adversity and found a way to win Monday,” Hooten said. “Dakarai was a big factor in that. Torry Butler has had four really good games in a row for us. His big thing is a consistent motor and focus. Jovante' is a tough guy who fights hard as well. This team has been so resilient throughout the year.”
Kevin Booze, a 5-10 sophomore guard, and Marcus Owens, a 6-2 junior forward, lead the Cardinals.
Aurimas Majauskas, Sam Houston's 6-8 center, led the Bearkats with 17 points in the victory over Lamar in Beaumont. Majauskas and Henderson stand as the team's top two scorers with overall season averages this year of 14.0 and 14.6 points per game. Henderson is scoring 16.2 points per game in Southland Conference action.
Almanza ranks among the Southland's leader in three-point accuracy, having hit 46-of-113 for a 40.7 shooting percentage. Henderson ranks third in the league in total three pointers with well. Majuaskas stands third in the league in overall field goal shooting with a mark of .555 from the field.
Williams ranks seventh in the league in assists (4.4) and 11th in the Southland in rebounds (5.6).
