Kats to open Justice era at LSU
11/5/2018 5:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Game 1
Tuesday, Nov. 6 • Baton Rouge, La. • 5:30 p.m. • Maravich Assembly Center (10,249)
Sam Houston State (0-0, 0-0 Southland) at LSU (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Live Stats • SEC Network+ • @BearkatsWBB on Twitter
HUNTSVILLE – A new era of Sam Houston State women's basketball begins on Tuesday night when first-year head coach Ravon Justice leads her Bearkats in the 2018-19 season opener at LSU.
The game can be watched on SECNetwork+ and on the ESPN app and is set to tip off at 5:30 p.m. from the Pete Maravich Assembly Center. Fans can also follow along with live stats and get updates as they happen by following @BearkatsWBB on Twitter.
Sam Houston returns each of its four top scorers from a year ago, along with six newcomers and a renewed optimism from Justice and her staff. Jenniffer Oramas returns to the floor for her junior year after leading the team in 2018-19 with 10.0 points per game, while Lydia Baxter is back after finishing in the top 10 in the league in rebounding a year ago.
KATS OPEN AT SEC SCHOOL FOR THIRD STRAIGHT YEAR
Kicking off the season on the road against an SEC school is nothing new for Sam Houston State after opening up each of the past two seasons at Arkansas, and four of the last five years against SEC schools overall. Last year the Bearkats were on the verge of pulling off a season-opening upset of the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, leading by as much as 13 points in the opening half and taking a five-point lead into the break before falling by 11 as Arkansas canned seven 3-point baskets in the final two quarters. Jenniffer Oramas had 11 points in the game, while Dominique Maxwell had 10.
JUSTICE COMES TO HUNTSVILLE
Sam Houston State has named Ravon Justice as its 10th women's basketball head coach in the 48-year history of the program on April 12. Justice joins the Bearkats after two successful seasons as the head coach at Prairie View A&M, her first two years as a head coach. As a head coach at Prairie View A&M, she helped resurrect and refocus the once prominent women's basketball program. In her first year, she had a school record five non-conference wins against teams from Conference USA, the Southland and the MEAC. Justice was able to lead the Panthers to an 11-2 home record in her first season along with coaching a second team all-SWAC selection and second team Box-To-Row All American selection in Alexus Parker.
NEW COACH, PLENTY OF NEW FACES
Along with Justice, the Kats feature an entirely new coaching staff with assistants Anthony Anderson, Brittany Mason and KIra Carter. Sam Houston will also be breaking in six newcomers, four of which have joined as transfers. One of those was a familiar face for Justice as she brought along La'Sha Haynes from Prairie View, a player who led the SWAC in rebounding for the 2016-17 season.
Still, the Kats return each of their four leading scorers from a year ago, led by junior guard Jenniffer Oramas who was the only Kat to average in double-figure scoring a year ago. In all, they return 61.5 percent of their scoring and 82.8 percent of its rebounding from the 2017-18 season.
HARRELL, ORAMAS MOVING UP SHSU 3-POINT RECORD LIST
With two seasons left to play, junior guards Rachel Harrell and Jenniffer Oramas have the chance to move up the list at SHSU in made 3-point field goals. Midway through their playing careers Harrell has already canned 79 triples and Oramas has 63. Harrell will only need 10 more threes to move into the all-time top 10 at SHSU. Britni Martin holds the SHSU all-time record for made 3-point field goals with 311.
BAXTER LOOKING TO PICK UP WHERE SHE LEFT OFF
No Bearkat finished the 2017-18 season stronger than Lydia Baxter, and Ravon Justice is hoping the senior will pick up in 2018-19 right where she left off. Baxter had 12 games in double-figure scoring last season and five in double-figure rebounding, but in the Bearkats' final 10 games of last season she had seven games with 10+ points and three games with 10+ rebounding (3 double-doubles). In all, she averaged 13.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the final 10 contests of 2017-18.
KATS PICKED 13TH IN SOUTHLAND PRESEASON POLLS
If the Bearkats needed any added motivation for the season, they got it when the Southland Conference preseason poll was released in October. The Kats were selected to finish 13th in the 13-team league in a vote of SLC coaches and sports information directors.
SHSU LOOKING TO END SEASON-OPENING SKID
The Kats have not backed off from top competition to kick off the season in recent years, but have not been able to open up the season with a victory since a 94-74 win over UT Tyler to open up the 2011-12 season. The last time the Kats opened up a season with a win away from Huntsville was the 2010-11 season when they defeated Southeast Missouri in Lubbock; however, the Kats have not won a true road season opener since defeating Oklahoma in Norman, 90-86, to begin the 1989-90 season.
