HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The Bearkats made clutch plays down the stretch to hold off a second-half rally by New Orleans to notch their second-straight Southland Conference victory with an 87-79 victory Saturday at Johnson Coliseum.
Sam Houston State (8-4 overall, 2-0 in SLC) ran its season-high winning streak to four games and improved to 7-0 at home this season. The Kats shot 51.7 percent from the field and hit 11 3-pointers to drop the Privateers to 0-2 in league play and 4-7 overall.
Sophomore Zach Nutall led SHSU with 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting (61.5 percent) from the floor. Senior Kai Mitchall finished with 16 points and eight rebounds, and senior Dainan Swoope poured in 12 points.
The Bearkats closed the half on an 8-1 run to create some separation with a 49-41 lead at the break. The teams traded baskets to start the second period, but the Bearkats began to pull away midway through the half.
Junior Demarkus Lampley got hot from behind the arc and hit all three of his attempts in the game in a span of a minute and a half to put SHSU up 76-55 at the 9:23 mark. Mitchell followed with two free throws to cap a 19-2 run.
The Privateers weren't done yet and came storming back. UNO responded with a 21-4 run to pull within 82-76 with just over three minutes left in the game.
The Bearkats made some defensive stands and junior RJ Smith and sophomore Xavier Bryant knocked down some key free throws to seal the victory for SHSU.
The Kats were 14 of 17 (82.4 percent) from the free-throw line and scored 28 points off 21 UNO turnovers.
Sam Houston State takes a break from SLC action to play its final nonconference game Dec. 29 on the road at Rice. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Sam Houston State men take down New Orleans
The Bearkats made clutch plays down the stretch to hold off a second-half rally by New Orleans to notch their second-straight Southland Conference victory.
