The Sam Houston men’s basketball team overcame a sloppy first half to rout the Indians of Louisiana-Monroe 74-54 on Saturday night.
The victory puts the Bearkats at 15-6 overall and 6-3 in SLC play. The game also brought senior Chris Jordan closer to entering the 1,000 point club. Jordan was the only constant of the first half for the Bearkats, as he scored 14 of his 22 in that half. As a result of his stellar play, he is now 15 points away from the 1,000 career point club.
“We came out kind of sluggish,” said Jordan about the first half. “[In the second half] we came out aggressive and tried to go at them when they pressed, make them get on their heels.”
Ryan Bright and John Gardiner also had solid games for the Bearkats. Bright scored 10 points and grabbed 13 boards, while Gardiner scored 12 points and muscled down five rebounds.
The Bearkats had another solid shooting night all around, especially in the second half, when they shot 57 percent from the field. But, the most impressive stat was the three point shooting, as they shot 55 percent for the game, including a sweltering 70 percent in the second half.
“We got contributions from a lot of different guys,” said Coach Bob Marlin. “Everybody that played I felt did a good job.”
The defense for the Bearkats was no slouch either, as they held the Indians to 23 percent shooting for the night. And once again, the Bearkats out rebounded their opponents, this time 44-41.
“We wanted to run the floor in transition because we felt like they were tired,” said Marlin. “We were at our best when we ran the floor.”
The win puts Sam Houston at third place in conference behind Northwestern State and McNeese State.
This Thursday at Johnson Coliseum, the Kats will take on the Lions from Southeastern Louisiana in a feline fiasco. Sam Houston won the first game at Louisiana. If Chris Jordan scores at least 15 points on Thursday, he will enter the exclusive Sam Houston club.