Kats, Jacks renew rivalry on Thursday
2/1/2017 10:41:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Game 18
Thursday, Feb. 2 • Huntsville, Texas • 5:15 p.m. • Johnson Coliseum
Buy Tickets • Sam Houston State (1-17, 1-7 SLC) vs Stephen F. Austin (16-3, 7-1 SLC)
Game Notes • Watch Online • Listen Online • Live Stats • @BearkatsWBB on Twitter
HUNTSVILLE – If there is anything certain in the Sam Houston State – Stephen F. Austin women's basketball rivalry, it is uncertainty.
The Bearkats, who stunned the Ladyjacks a season ago in the Southland Conference quarterfinals, host SFA on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. from Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The game, presented by Brookshire Brothers, will be the first Grow The Growl game of the semester with students receiving a free t-shirt courtesy of Rec. Sports, Student Money Management Center and the Bearkat OneCard. Tickets are still on sale for as low as $5.
Sam Houston will look to replicate the same magic in last season's victory against Stephen F. Austin. The Bearkats, who clawed their way to win No. 1 last week against Southeastern Louisiana, face a Ladyjacks team that is tied atop the Southland standings at 7-1.
The Piney Woods rivals have split the last 10 meetings with the Kats claiming four of the last seven matchups in Huntsville. Despite that, only three current players on the youthful Sam Houston roster competed against the Ladyjacks in the last meeting – a 78-70 win in Katy, Texas.
After starting its season 0-17, Sam Houston found the win column on Saturday, using its best offensive performance of the season to down the Lions, 68-61. Freshman Jenniffer Oramas scored a season-high 20 points while sophomore Ashleigh Cooper boasted a career-best 13 points.
The Kats, who have sunk just 65 percent of their free throws this season, made 22 of 28 (78 percent) from the charity stripe to help seal the victory. Sam Houston's bench, which included three scorers in double-figures, outscored Southeastern Louisiana's reserves, 33-0.
