Sam Houston State women’s basketball can celebrate after going on a road trip over the holiday break and earning two victories, which extending their record to 5-3.
The Bearkats’ kicked off their Thanksgiving holiday on a strong note by defeating the Rice Owls 79-74 in an overtime thriller.
Leading the Bearkats to the victory was junior post Angela Beadle, who dominated the game with a double-double performance with 30 points and 16 rebounds. She was clutch when it counted, knocking in 8 of SHSU’s 13 points during the overtime period.
Senior guard Jasmine Johnson dropped 21 points and six assists for the contest to complement Beadle on the boards.
Despite SHSU’s 42-35 lead at intermission, the second half was tough for the Bearkats as they only shot 20 percent from the field and 14 percent from the three-point line.
The Owls took advantage of the deficit by outscoring SHSU 31-24 in the second half, forcing the overtime period.
However, Rice was not ready for “The Beadle.”
Teammates worked the ball inside to Beadle who drained three short jumpers in the first two minutes. Junior guard Jazmin Wiley made a crucial free throw to give the Bearkats a 73-69 lead.
Johnson took advantage of her opportunity at the charity stripe, draining both of her free throws to hold the Owls off in the final seconds.
SHSU owned a four-game winning streak as they headed to the University of Missouri-Kansas City Classic to take on the host team.
Nyha Carter held the reins for SHSU as she drained two free throws in the final seven seconds of the game to edge out a 78-76 victory.
SHSU had previously held a 17-point lead with 6:05 left in the game after a pair of free throws from junior forward Maggie Lorenz , but UMKC’s Kim Neziankya sparked a 21-4 run by draining a three-pointer five seconds later.
After the Bearkats took an early 5-4 lead in the first half, they never trailed the Kangaroos until the last minute of the game.
SHSU brought its winning momentum against the final opponent in the UMKC Classic, the University of Alabama-Birmingham.
In another closely contested game with seven ties and ten lead changes, the Bearkats still had a two-point lead at the half, 34-32.
Beadle again held the weight of SHSU’s offense on her shoulders, scoring 18 points and pulling down 10 boards, yet it wasn’t enough to hold UAB back from the win.
The Blazers’ Karisma Chapman stoked the fire for their offense that game, totaling 37 points and 11 rebounds.
UAB ran the tables during the second half, outscoring SHSU 38-25 for the 70-59 defeat and ending the Bearkats’ five-game win streak.
SHSU looks to start another winning run as they host Wichita State in Johnson Coliseum Thursday with a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.