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Howard Payne
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| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howard Payne | 23 | 36 | 59 |
| Sam Houston | 53 | 49 | 102 |
11/7/2026 5:10:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE — Once the Bearkats got heated up Saturday, there was no denying them their first win of the season.
Sam Houston held Howard Payne scoreless for a five-minute stretch in the first half to coast to a 102-59 victory in its home opener at Johnson Coliseum.
Aidan McDowell led the Bearkats with 18 points, while Jacobe Coleman added 13 as both players went 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Matt Dann came off the bench to post a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Mahliq Guiseppi-Kitson just missed one with 12 points and seven rebounds.
The game was slow going early as Sam Houston (1-1) toggled its lineup, with 12 players seeing action in the opening period. The Yellow Jackets were pesky, keeping within a basket or two for most of the half and trailing 15-13 when the Bearkats made their run.
A hook shot by forward Cheikh Ndiaye put Sam Houston up four, and Yoda Oke, Jacobe Coleman, Xavier Roberson and Riccardo Greppi combined to score nine more unanswered points to push the lead to 26-13. Howard Payne stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer at the 6:24 mark, only to go scoreless again until just under a minute and a half remained in the half.
Sam Houston turned that stingy defense into a 24-5 run, highlighted by a monster one-handed dunk by Enel St. Bernard, to build a 53-23 lead at the break.
Coleman hit a 3-pointer coming out of the half, and McDowell added a pair of jumpers. Coleman and Dann also had back-to-back dunks as the Kats led by as many as 49 in the second half.
Sam Houston shot 53 percent from the field and outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 66-31 while holding them to 28 percent shooting for the game.
The Bearkats will be back in action at home Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. as Pepperdine comes to Johnson Coliseum.
