74
WKU WestKy 12-4,1-1 CUSA
78
Winner Sam Houston SHSU 9-8,2-0 CUSA
WKU WestKy
12-4,1-1 CUSA
74
Final
78
Sam Houston SHSU
9-8,2-0 CUSA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
WKU WestKy 30 44 74
Sam Houston SHSU 36 42 78
Jaden Ray puts up a shot against Western Kentucky
Matt Piasecki

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Ray’s game winner lifts Kats past WKU

HUNTSVILLE — Jaden Ray hit the game-winning shot in the closing seconds to lead Sam Houston to a 78-74 nail-biting victory over Western Kentucky on Wednesday at Johnson Coliseum.
 
The Bearkats (9-8) led for the majority of the second half when the Hilltoppers (12-4) rallied to take their first lead since the 8:01 mark at 67-66. It was back and forth from there.
 
Lamar Wilkerson came up with a huge shot to put Sam Houston up 74-72 with 55 seconds to go in the game. WKU tied it again a few seconds later to set up Ray's heroics.
 
The senior from Midwest City, Okla., drove the lane and found the bottom of the net with a floater to put the Kats up for good at the 14.9 mark. Marcus Boykin made two free throws with three seconds left to ice it and move Sam Houston to 2-0 in Conference USA.
 
Wilkerson led the Kats with 21 points, and Boykin added a career-high 17 with seven rebounds. Souleymane Doumbia added 12 points and tied a career-high with three blocks.
 
The game was slow going early as both teams tried to get going offensively.
 
WKU built a 19-14 lead with just under nine minutes to go when Sam Houston started to get hot thanks to Boykin.
 
He knocked down a 3-pointer to pull the Kats within two then picked off an inbound pass on the right sideline and raced to the basket to tie the game at the 7:33 mark.
 
Doumbia gave Sam Houston its first lead since midway through the half when the big man from the Ivory Coast pulled up and drilled a 3 to make it 22-19. Cameron Huefner, who missed the past game with an ailing shoulder, answered a Hilltoppers' score with a 3 of his own to make it a four-point game.
 
The streak continued when Boykin again scored on a layup to push the lead to 27-21, and Wilkerson buried a 3 with 4:30 to go in the half to give Sam Houston a 30-21 lead, its largest of the half.
 
WKU finally strung some baskets together for a 7-0 run, but Boykin scored a layup and Kian Scroggins threw down a dunk to send the Bearkats into the break up 36-30.
 
NOTES
• This was the second game-winning shot of Jaden Ray's career. As a sophomore, he hit almost the exact same shot to lift Sam Houston to a 65-63 victory over Abilene Christian in the WAC opener on Jan. 8, 2022.
 
Lamar Wilkerson scored 18 points in the second half which is the most in a single period in his career. His previous best was 13 in the first half in an 81-77 victory over Louisiana Tech on Saturday.
 
• Sam Houston is 2-0 to start conference play. The last time the Bearkats opened league action 2-0 was the 2021-22 season.
 
Marcus Boykin's 17 points were a new career high. His previous best was 11 in a loss at Oklahoma State earlier this season.
 
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