SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Sam Houston struggled from the floor as it lost to Missouri State 69-60 at Great Southern Bank Arena on Saturday evening.

In a game where both teams scored below their season averages, the Bears (7-3) used fast starts to each of the halves to ultimately sink the Bearkats (5-5), who could not get into an offensive rhythm until late in the game.

While the Kats were able to break the Missouri State streak of six-straight games outrebounding their opponent, the length of Missouri State still proved to be a problem for Sam Houston as the Bears tallied 14 total blocks for the game. 

The Bearkats were led by Davon Barnes, who scored 16 points. Cameron Huefner and Kian Scroggins both scored 10 points, with Scroggins notching his second double-double of the season. Marcus Boykin added 9 points off the bench, and Damon Nicholas lead the Sam Houston in rebounds with 11.

The Kats will be back in Huntsville on Tuesday to take on the ULM Warhawks. Tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m.