It might have looked like a random game on the schedule, but Sam Houston State’s men’s basketball 88-39 win against Texas College on Monday had meaning for head coach Jason Hooten.
Chris Winfield | The Houstonian
It was an opportunity for his team to continue its pace toward the latter part of their season and for other players on his squad to see the court.
“I wanted to stay on a routine, because that last week of the season we’re going to play Monday, Thursday and Saturday, which is a quick turnaround,” Hooten said. “I want some of those guys to get a chance to play because they work hard every day.”
After defeating Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at home last game, the Kats did a little bit of everything to capture the easy win on the Steers. SHSU ran out of the gates quick leading 24-0 until Texas College finally got their first field goal with 13 minutes left during the first half.
Five players hit from behind the arc. Senior guard Kaheem Ransom led the team going four of six from the three-point line. Right behind him, Dakarai Henderson contributed, hitting two threes.
Not only did the Bearkats shoot well from behind the arc but had an incredible field goal percentage, shooting 55 percent for the game. Senior guard DeMarcus Gatlin was the Kats’ leading scorer with 16 points in the blowout win.
SHSU had a total of 11 steals and three blocks. The Kats mixed running full court pressure to attribute to their tough, physical defense.
The Steers’ regular season leading scorer and rebounder sophomore center Jason Williams had a total of only two points and one rebound for the entire game. Going against the much smaller opponent in size, the Kats out-rebounded the Steers 45-23 with senior Michael Holyfield being the Kats’ leading rebounder with nine.
The Kats improve their record to 19-5 (10-1 SLC) heading against Houston Baptist, a team they already beat at home. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. on Saturday in Houston.