18-12,11-7CUSA
Liberty
18-12,11-7CUSA
Kats fall to the Flames in quarterfinals
3/12/2026 3:18:00 PM | Women's Basketball
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Sam Houston fell to Liberty, 89-57, in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Championships at Propst Arena on Thursday.
The fifth-seeded Flames (18-12, 11-7 CUSA) built a 32-point lead midway through the third quarter before the fourth-seeded Bearkats (18-11, 11-7 CUSA) mounted a brief rally, trimming the deficit to 20 by the end of the period. Sam Houston was unable to close the gap further in the final quarter.
Whitney Dunn led the Bearkats with 20 points and six rebounds, marking her third 20-point performance of the season. Nyla Inmon added 11 points and four defensive rebounds for her 18th double-figure scoring game of the year.
Aysia Ward-Strong finished with nine points and two rebounds, including a three-pointer, while Deborah Ogayemi recorded eight points and five rebounds. Fanta Kone dished out eight assists to go along with three points.
Sam Houston was out rebounded 40-30 and forced just eight turnovers while recording four steals. Liberty forced 16 Bearkat turnovers and tallied eight steals.
Despite the loss, the Bearkats finished the season with their most wins since the 2019-20 campaign and posted their best finish since joining Conference USA.
