Saturday • November 11 • 2:00 p.m.
vs HCU
ESPN+ • Live Stats • Tickets
HUNTSVILLE - Sam Houston will open the 2023-24 season on its home floor on Saturday when it hosts the HCU Huskies at Johnson Coliseum.
Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. with the game set to be aired on ESPN+ with Jordan Smith on the mic.
Saturday will be the 21st all-time meeting between former Southland Conference foes, with the last meeting between the teams ending in an 88-57 win for the Kats on February 3, 2021.
Sam Houston leads the all-time series between the teams, 11-9.
Fans got their first look at head coach Ravon Justice's team last week in a 102-72 exhibition win against Our Lady of the Lake. Six Kats finished in double figures in the season preview, led by Sydnee Kemp's 17 points.
The Bearkats will be making their debut season in Conference USA in 2023-24 and will likely lean heavily returning veterans Kaylee Jefferson, Raanee Smith and Kemp in the season's early going. That trio, along with fellow returners Alexus Seaton, Bryana Block and Shanti Henry are joined on this year's roster by eight newcomers.
Jefferson, a redshirt-senior and a three-year starter for the Kats, averaged 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while making a career high 29 3-point shots a year ago. Kemp is a redshirt-junior who started 25 games last year, averaging 8.0 points and 1.9 assists per game in 2022-23 and comes into the year with 83 games as a Bearkat under her belt.
Newcomers to watch in 2023-24 include Prairie View transfer Diana Rosenthal and Eastern Arizona CC transfer Kassidy Dixon.
Rosenthal comes to Huntsville after a three-year stint at PVAMU where she established herself as one of the premier scorers in the SWAC averaging better than 15 points per game each of the last two years for the Panthers. Meanwhile Dixon, who originally started her collegiate career at Grand Canyon, joins the Kats after a year at Eastern Arizona CC where she averaged 9.8 points and 7.9 rebounds per game on the junior college level.
For updates on Bearkat Women's Basketball, be sure to check GoBearkats.com and follow @Bearkats_WBB on X and @BearkatsWBB on Instagram.
