14-7,6-4CUSA
Missouri State
12-9,6-4CUSA
Kats use bench depth to knock off Bears
1/28/2026 9:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Sam Houston has faced some adversity with injuries, but Wednesday night, some fresh faces filled some important roles.
The Bearkats continued their hot streak with an 80-71 victory over Missouri State at the Great Southern Bank Arena. The freshman trio of Jacob Walker, Jacobe Coleman and Matt Dann combined to score 35 points off the bench as Sam Houston has now won five Conference USA games in a row.
Walker scored a team-high 16 points, and Veljko Ilic chipped in 14 points. Senior Kashie Natt finished with 12, and Dann and sophomore Justin Begg each scored eight.
The Bears managed to cut a five-point halftime deficit to one at 47-46 in what the storyline for most of the contest would be. Coleman drove the lane and was fouled as Sam Houston (14-7, 6-4) made it 50-46 seven minutes into the second half.
Missouri State (12-9, 6-4) kept putting on the pressure, and the Kats kept coming up with an answer.
Natt and Walker scored four unanswered as Sam Houston was able to up the lead back to 57-51 with just over 10 minutes left. The Bearkats started running into foul trouble in the post, however, which allowed Missouri State to climb back to within one.
Po'Boigh King responded with a driving layup for two of his seven points, then Dann got a big defensive rebound. Walker turned it into a pair of free throws on the other end and a 69-64 lead at the 4:13 mark.
Sam Houston finally began to put the Bears away late. Begg drilled a 3-pointer and Walker drove inside for two more to make it 74-64. Natt put the finishing touches on the victory with an emphatic two-handed dunk in the final minute.
The Bearkats shot a red-hit 54 percent from the field and owned the glass, outrebounding the Bears 35-28 and 25-19 on the defensive boards while outscoring them 50-36 in the paint.
Sam Houston returns home Saturday to face Louisiana Tech as part of a doubleheader with the women's team. The men are set to tip at 9 p.m. on ESPN2.
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