HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — The Sam Houston women's basketball team held off No. 9 seed Jax State with a 55-53 victory on Monday at Propst Arena. 

The Bearkats (13-16, 6-13 CUSA) secured their first Conference USA tournament win in the opening round to advance to the quarterfinals. 

Fanta Kone starred with seven steals, tied for the second most in conference tournament history. She extended her streak of three or more steals to 10 games, the longest active streak in Division I. 

Sam Houston faced foul trouble early but managed to shut down Jax State's final play to secure the win. 

Whitney Dunn came up clutch with a steal and score in the final minute to give the Bearkats a 54-53 lead. Sydnee Kemp added a free throw to secure the final point of the game. 

The Bearkats trailed after the first quarter but battled back to tie the game at 29 going into halftime. 

Nyla Inmon led Sam Houston with 17 points. Kone added 15, while Dunn contributed 10. 

The Bearkats will face top seeded Liberty in the CUSA quarterfinals at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+.