RUSTON, La. - The Sam Houston women's basketball team will open Conference USA play on the road against Louisiana Tech at Thomas Assembly Center on Saturday.
Sam Houston (5-7) is coming off a 66-55 loss against UTRGV at home on December 30th to close out non-conference play. Raanee Smtih picked up her fifth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The Vaqueros lead by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter thanks in part to their seven made 3 pointers in the game. Sam Houston struggled to get anything going offensively to get back into the game in the closing minutes.
Series vs the Lady Techsters
This will be the fourth all-time meeting between Sam Houston and Louisiana Tech. The Bearkats have not defeated the Lady Techsters in the history of the rivalry. The Bearkats look to change that going into the conference opener.
A Look At The Season To Date
It's been a balanced offensive effort for the Kats so far this year with the team's leading scorer being Diana Rosenthal with an average of 12.0 points per game. However, balance has been the name of the game with five different players leading the team in scoring over the last 12 games.
Chair of the Boards
In addition to Smith's five double-doubles on the season, the Philadelphia native has been dominating on the glass in non-conference play for the Kats. Smith is leading CUSA with 9.9 rebounds per game but is also second in the nation with 5.9 offensive rebounds per contest. Of her 119 total rebounds this year, 68 have come on the offensive glass, highlighted by 16 offensive rebounds in the Kats' win over Texas College.
Where They Rank
Raanee Smith is second in the country for offensive rebounds at 5.9 per game. Sam Houston is in the top five in the country in free throws attempted and made, making them dangerous from the line. The Bearkats are sixth in the nation in turnovers forced.
Follow the Kats
For updates on Bearkat Women's Basketball, be sure to check GoBearkats.com and follow @Bearkats_WBB on X and @BearkatsWBB on Instagram.
