HUNTSVILLE – Madelyn Batista tipped in the game-winning bucket as the final buzzer sounded on Tuesday night, giving the Sam Houston Bearkats a thrilling 66-65 victory over Longwood at Johnson Coliseum.
The Kats (4-3) never led in the fourth quarter until that made bucket and still trailed 63-58 with two minutes to play; however, Sam Houston cut it to one on consecutive scores from
Courtney Cleveland and Batista and after trading buckets in the final minute with Longwood (3-3), found itself down by a point with just 36 seconds to play.
But Sam Houston came up with a big defensive stop and
Damaya Telemaque picked up a missed shot and raced the other way as the seconds ticked down, getting a clean look at the goal from 15 feet away. The shot drew iron, but Batista ran the length of the court and was there to clean it up, tipping it in just before the buzzer for the win.
It capped a strong night from the Orlando, Fla., native as she finished with 14 points on 7-for-11 shooting with five rebounds.
She was one of four Bearkats in double figures with Telemaque leading the way, scoring 15 points on efficient 5-for-8 shooting, with
Faith Cook also adding 13 points. Cleveland finished with 11 points and a pair of steals and
Kaylee Jefferson had nine points and six boards.
The Kats' forced 22 turnovers on the night, including 12 from Longwood point guard Tra'Dayja Davis, helping negate big nights from Kyla McMakin and Akila Smith. McMakin finished with a game-high 26 points for the Lancers, while Smith put together a triple-double with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocked shots.
The 24-12 advantage in points off of turnovers and 19-10 edge on the offense glass were both key for the Kats on a night that saw them hit just 11 of 25 shots from the foul line and 40 percent from the floor.
Sam Houston will now turn its attention to a tough 3-game road stretch that includes consecutive road games at Louisiana Tech and Alabama before returning home to host Rice on December 16.
