HUNTSVILLE — Raanee Smith turned in a double-double and Diarrah Sissoko had 15 points to lead the Sam Houston Bearkats to their second win of Conference USA play, 66-56 in overtime, over NM state on Thursday at Johnson Coliseum. 

The Kats (7-17, 2-10 CUSA) led nearly the whole way in the second half, but the Aggies (11-14, 5-7 CUSA) forced overtime with a late 3-pointer; however, Sam Houston staked itself to a quick lead and outscored NM State 12-2 in the extra period to get back into the win column. 

Smith finished with 12 points and 19 rebounds, the most by a player in Conference USA in 2023-24 and the most for a Bearkat since Lydia Baxter had 19 in 2019. That effort helped the Kats to a 45-34 edge on the glass, while Shanti Henry canned all three of her 3-point tries to aid a 5-for-10 night shooting for Sam Houston from beyond the arc.  

Sydnee Kemp added 13 points, 10 in the first half, while Sissoko hit eight of her 11 tries from the foul line for the bulk of her points.  

Sam Houston trailed by two after a quarter of play, but Henry's first 3-pointer of the night early in the second quarter put them ahead for the first time at 17-16. The teams stayed in a deadlock for the bulk of the second quarter, with NM State not scoring until a layup with just 4:24 to play in the half.  

But Sam Houston outscored NM State 10-2 going into the half and 15-4 in the second quarter overall to build a 29-20 lead at the break.  

However, NM State's Molly Kaiser got going in the third quarter, going on a personal 8-0 run to open the second half and draw the Aggies back to within a point. Still, NM State was able to draw even, but never surge ahead at any point the rest of the way.  

The Kats consistently had an answer for the Aggies and still held a 54-49 lead with less than a minute to play after a pair of freebies from Sissoko. But a pair of free throws by Kaiser was followed by Jaila Harding's second 3-pointer of the night with 18 seconds to play to force the extra period.  

But the extra period was all Bearkats as they scored the first five points and held the Aggies without a made field goal for the entirety of the of the period for the 10-point win, the second in overtime in league play for SHSU this year. 

Sam Houston will quickly turn around and host UTEP on Saturday at Johnson Coliseum. Tipoff is set for 2:00 p.m. and will be aired on ESPN+.