HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Looking to shake Nicholls in what had been a back-and-forth game, Sam Houston State was looking for a hero. They found one in Aurimas Majauskas.

The forward used his physical presence inside to create a trio of 3-point plays on three straight possessions with under three minutes remaining to lead Sam Houston to a 74-61 win on Saturday evening at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

The game, which featured 14 ties and 18 lead changes, saw neither team maintain more than a four-point advantage in the opening half. Four Sam Houston players finished in double-figures including Majauskas who registered a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Josh Delaney sunk four 3-pointers and led Sam Houston with 14 points while Dakarai Henderson and Javonte Spivey each finished with 13. The Bearkats finished with nine 3-pointers, one off a season-high and dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Colonels 48-27.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Sam Houston State used a 10-0 run, holding Nicholls scoreless over 6:07 midway through the second half to take a 55-48 advantage in what had been a back-and-forth game. The Bearkats used back-to-back 3-pointer from Josh Delaney and Dakarai Henderson to up the lead to seven points with 9:33 left.

The Bearkats pushed the advantage to nine points as Aurimas Majauskas and Henderson hit jumpers on consecutive possessions. Sam Houston led 62-53 with 5:47 left but five straight Colonels' points cut their deficit to four with 3:59 remaining.

Aurimas Majauskas put on a show late, collecting a trio of 3-point plays in the span of one minute to give Sam Houston a 72-61 lead. The forward used his dominance inside to help the Bearkats to an 8-0 game-ending run and second straight victory in Southland Conference play.

Chris Galbreath Jr. finished one point and one rebound away from a double-double in 25 minutes of action. The Bearkats hit the road for two straight starting Thursday at New Orleans. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:45 p.m.

PLAYER OF THE GAME
Aurimas Majauskas scored all 12 of his points on 5 of 7 shooting and seven rebounds. The forward recorded his first double-double this year (12 points, 11 rebounds) while matching a career-high for the fourth time in rebounds.

KEY STATS
Sam Houston dominated inside, outscoring Nicholls 28-16 inside the paint and out-rebounded the Colonels 48-27 including 27-15 in the second half. The Bearkats also struck six of their nine total 3-pointers in the final 20 minutes and shot 50 percent in that time frame.

QUOTABLES
Head coach Jason Hooten on the victory…
“It was a hard fought battle. They were 2-0 in the league. We knew they were talented. I thought the biggest difference was that we really locked down in the second half. We started off slow but with about 15 minutes to go we hit a couple of threes.”

Head coach Jason Hooten on Josh Delaney's performance…
“Josh probably has one of the best attitudes of a kid I have coached in 24 years. He just waited his turn. I put him in because he makes shots. He's not the biggest guy or most athletic but he talks and he can shoot. When he came in, he gave us a big boost.”

Head coach Jason Hooten on Aurimas Majauskas's performance…
“His knee had been bothering him a little bit but what a contribution he made when I put him back in there with seven minutes to go. He had some big defensive rebounds. We got a great contribution from everyone. That is two straight games where you can look up the definition of 'team win' and that's what it was.”