WILMINGTON, N.C. — Sam Houston withstood a hailstorm of 3-pointers to close out the the Live Oak Bank Holiday Classic with an 82-78 victory over Colgate on Saturday at Trask Coliseum.
The Bearkats (4-4) went 1-2 over the course of the three-team event which also including a pair of losses to host UNCW on Friday and Appalachian State on Wednesday.
Lamar Wilkerson led Sam Houston with 17 points, and
Brennen Burns and
Dorian Finister each contributed 15 points.
The game was fiercely competitive from the opening tip as neither team was able to gain any ground.
The Bearkats held a modest two-point lead at the half. Wilkerson connected on a deep 3 to give Sam Houston a 43-40 lead right before Huefner laid one off the glass after a defensive stop three minutes into the second period. Colgate just kept answering with 3s, which kept the Raiders in the game and allowed them to retake the lead at 50-49.
It was back and forth just like that the rest of the way. Every time the Bearkats would go up by three, Colgate would make a shot from 3-point land on the other end, finishing 12 for 32 for the game.
Sam Houston found itself down again 63-62 when
Josiah Hammons was fouled shooting a 3. He made each free throw to put the Kats back on top, and Finister was able to get two free throws to fall for a 67-63 lead moments later as the Raiders finally failed to overcome the deficit.
It was a more productive shooting night for Sam Houston than Friday's loss to UNCW as the team shot 52 percent from the floor.
The Bearkats got off to a much better start on both ends of the floor.
Kalifa Sakho had a pair of dunks, and Wilkerson knocked down a mid-range jumper for a 6-0 lead. The Raiders finally got on the board, but Hammons drilled a 3 to make it 9-3 in the opening minutes.
Colgate clawed back to pull within one only to see
Kian Scroggins drop in a pair of free throws to push it back to a three-point game. The Raiders answered with a 5-0 run to take their first lead.
Sam Houston kept pushing back. Finister drained a 3 to narrow the lead to 19-18, and
Cameron Huefner forced a turnover to set up Scroggins to tie the game by making a free throw. Colgate continued its hot hand from behind the arc unfortunately, using one of its six 3s in the first half to regain the lead and go up by as many as four.
The Bearkats got a shot in the arm from Wilkerson who knocked in a 3 to tie it at 24. The Raiders hit one on the other end to go back up, but
Erik Taylor scored five straight points, including a 3 to tie it at 29.
Burns made a huge play when he scored on a layup to give Sam Houston its first lead at 33-31 since the opening minutes. Sakho was able to sink two free throws in the closing seconds of the half for a slim 35-33 advantage at the break.
The Bearkats will close out this four-game road swing with a clash against No. 14 Indiana on Tuesday at Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
