Kats return home to face Nicholls
Game 27
Wednesday, Feb. 20 • Huntsville • 6:30 p.m. • Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum (6,100)
Sam Houston State (17-9, 12-1 Southland) vs Nicholls (11-14, 4-8 Southland)
Live Stats • ESPN+ • @BearkatsMBB on Twitter
HUNTSVILLE – Coming off its first loss in over six weeks, the Sam Houston State Bearkat men’s basketball team will try to get back in the win column on Wednesday when it plays host to Nicholls.
The game with the Colonels is set to tip off at 6:30 p.m. at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum and can be watched on ESPN+ with Matt Pedersen and Matt Trent on the call. Live stats are also available, as are updates on Twitter by following @BearkatsMBB.
Sam Houston is coming off its first loss in Southland Conference play on Saturday at Lamar, a game that saw the Kats nearly erase a 15-point halftime deficit before falling in the game’s final moments to a Cardinal squad that won for the fifth time in six games.
Despite the loss, the Bearkats still own a two-game lead over the rest of the field for the top spot in the league, and own the tiebreak over its closest competitor – Abilene Christian – with just five SLC games left on Sam Houston’s slate.
The 12-0 start was the best in league play for SHSU in program history, putting them in prime position to secure the program’s third Southland Conference title and the top overall seed in next month’s Southland Conference Tournament in Katy.
Cameron Delaney continues to lead the Bearkats in scoring with 12.7 points per game, and is hitting 50.7 percent of his 3-point shots in SLC play. He is averaging 17.0 ppg over his last five games.
Meanwhile, Kai Mitchell continues to give SHSU a steady presence in the post, having reached double figures in 12 of 13 conference games to date and is coming off a 17-point, 10-rebound performance on Saturday against the Cardinals.
Nicholls claimed a share of the league title a year ago, but sports plenty of new faces under first-year head coach Austin Claunch. They are just 3-12 away from Stopher Gym this year and come into Wednesday having dropped seven of their last eight games; however, the lone win in that stretch was an impressive one when they went into New Orleans and shocked the Privateers a week ago.
Jeremiah Jefferson and Gavin Peppers lead the Nicholls attack, averaging 16.0 and 14.1 points per game, respectively. Peppers has established himself as one of the top shooters in the Southland, hitting 38.1 percent of his shots from distance and 64 of 69 (92.8 percent) at the foul line.
