HUNTSVILLE – Sam Houston took down UTEP 60-56 to stay atop of Conference USA on Saturday.
It was a messy, tough and hard fought game where neither team got much going on offense. The Bearkats however, were able to outlast the Miners and keep their home conference winning streak alive.
The Miners were on attack mode early in the game, going up by seven and did not allow the Kats to get settled on offense. Sam Houston would eventually find their rhythm and even the score at 28 headed into the break.
The Bearkats came out of the locker room swinging in the second half, going on a 14-2 run and forcing UTEP to shoot 1 of 6 from the floor. The Miners would not go out quietly however, and fought their way back within one point.
Teetering on a collapse, Sam Houston stripped UTEP of the basketball and
Lamar Wilkerson took off on a break-away dunk that would give the Bearkats all the momentum.
Marcus Boykin had the first crack to ice the game, but his layup came just short. Just then
Damon Nicholas Jr. flew in to grab the offense rebound, which lead to free throws for Sam Houston to salt the game away.
Wilkerson led the team with 16 points,
Davon Barnes added 11 points. Nicholas had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds.
Notes
- This was Nicholas' first double-double of the season and the second of his career. His first career one coming against Troy on Nov. 20.
- The Kats clearly wanted to attack the paint in this one, taking their fewest first half 3-pointers with only six attempts. While the other 28 shot attempts were within the arc.
- Sam Houston felt the defensive pressure of the Miners all game, committing a season high 22 turnovers.
Sam Houston will travel to Bowling Green to take on Western Kentucky on Thursday, tip-off is set for 8 p.m.
