Game 24 • at Jax State • Jacksonville, Ala. • Pete Matthews Coliseum • 6 p.m. • ESPN+ • Listen Live • Live Stats
JACKSONVILLE, Ala. — Sam Houston looks to rebound from a recent Conference USA loss when the team heads to Jacksonville State Thursday for a matchup at Pete Matthews Coliseum at 6 p.m.
The Bearkats (13-10, 6-2 CUSA) went 1-1 on its road trip last week, taking down Western Kentucky in a thriller on Jan. 30 before falling to FIU the next game. Sam Houston now looks to take down fellow CUSA newcomer to stay near the top of the conference in its first-ever game against the Gamecocks.
Sam Houston started last week's road trip in dramatic fashion by squeaking by WKU. In a game the Kats led for just 3:20 minutes,
Lamar Wilkerson made a tough layup with under a minute to go to secure the win and knock the Hilltoppers off at home for the first time all year.
The following game, The Bearkats would not nearly be as fortunate. Second-half struggles would lead to the Kats blowing a 10-point lead to the Panthers and losing their spot atop the conference.
Jax State is coming off a two-game skid in which it fell to UTEP and New Mexico State on the road. The Gamecocks' 6-4 home record places them near the bottom of the conference.
Sam Houston is led by both Wilkerson and
Davon Barnes, who are each averaging 14.1 points a game. That places them in a tie for sixth best in the conference.
Thursday's game is set to tip off at 6 pm and will be streamed on ESPN+. Game audio can be found on the Bearkat Sports Network.
NOTES
• Despite the strong record in conference, The Bearkats are playing nail-biters every single game. They only have a 1.5-point margin of victory in conference play, placing them third overall in that statistic in the conference.
• Sam Houston has been dominant on the glass in CUSA, out rebounding teams in 13 games this season. Their 20-rebound margin against FIU was their largest such margin of the season.
Sam Houston also has three of the top-five rebounding games in conference this season. Grabbing 53 rebounds against FIU (Feb. 3), 51 rebounds against UTEP (Jan. 27) and 45 rebounds against NM State (Jan. 25).
