Bearkats Makes Return To FCS Playoffs
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Sam Houston State returns to the NCAA Division I Football Championship playoffs for the third consecutive year as the Bearkats have been named as one of the 24 teams in the 2013 FCS bracket.
Sam Houston will play host to the Southern Utah State Thunderbirds from Cedar City, Utah, in an opening round game Saturday, Nov. 30, at 2 p.m. at Elliott T. Bowers Stadium.
Three Southland Conference teams are part of the FCS playoffs for the first time since 2001.
Conference champion Southeastern Louisiana is the No. 4 seed and league runner-up McNeese State is the No. 6 seed.
The winner of the Sam Houston versus Southern Utah game will travel to Hammond, La., to face the Lions on Saturday Dec. 7 in the second round.
McNeese will take on the winner of the Jacksonville State versus Samford matchup in the opening round.
Sam Houston is making its seventh FCS playoffs appearance. The Bearkats reached the national championship finals in both 2011 and 2012 in Frisco.
The Kats were semifinalists in 2004, quarterfinalists in 2001 and lost in the first round in 1986 and 1991.
Sam Houston is 6-0 at home in the FCS playoffs. The Bearkats own the longest current winning streak in FCS football, having won their last 21 contests at Bowers Stadium.
The complete line-up for the opening round Nov. 30:
South Carolina State vs. Furman
Winner faces No. 1 seed North Dakota State
Coastal Carolina vs. Bethune-Cookman
Winner faces No. 8 seed Montana
New Hampshire vs. Lafayette
Winner faces No. 5 seed Maine
SAM HOUSTON vs. Southern Utah
Winner faces No. 4 seed Southeastern Louisiana
Northern Arizona vs. San Diego State
Winner faces No. 3 seed Eastern Washington
Jacksonville State vs. Samford
Winner faces No. 6 seed McNeese State
Fordham vs. Sacred Heart
Winner faces No. 7 seed Towson
Butler vs. Tennessee State
Winner faces No. 2 seed Eastern Washington
Bearkat WBB Notches First Win of Season
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
HUNTSVILLE – Senior guard Jasmine Johnson scored a career high 31 points and junior center Angela Beadle posted a career best 19 rebounds to lead Sam Houston to an 83-73 non-conference women’s basketball victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Friday afternoon at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
Beadle also scored 14 points.
Jazmin Wiley and Amanda Barnes also were in double figures for the Bearkats, totaling 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Ragin’ Cajuns were led by Keke Veal with 17 points.
The victory in the home opener for Sam Houston upped the Kats record to 1-2.
Louisiana-Lafayette dropped to 2-1.
The game turned into a free throw fest in the final minutes as the two squads were whistled for a combined 56 fouls.
Johnson was 12-of-17 from the line for the Bearkats.
Sam Houston built a 22 point lead, 57-35, six minutes into the second half after going up 43-33 at intermission.
But the Ragin’ Cajuns came back to cut the margin to seven, 74-67 with 2:33 to play.
The Kats hit seven free throws in the final two minutes to hang on to the victory.
Bearkats WBB Looks For First Win Against UL-Lafayette
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
The defending Southland Conference champion Bearkat women’s basketball team opens its 2013-14 home schedule Friday at 11 a.m. when Sam Houston play host to Louisiana-Lafayette at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
The Bearkat women opened their non-conference schedule last week with a tough road trip to Arkansas.
Sam Houston lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks 81-45 Friday then just missed knocking off a fellow 2013 WNIT participant Arkansas-Little Rock Sunday.
UALR edged the Kats 69-65 after Sam Houston had rallied from 12 points down to cut the margin to three in the final minute.
Two starters and five other lettermen return from last year’s squad that earned SHSU its first Southland women’s basketball regular season championship in 26 years in the league.
The Bearkats made their first Southland tournament finals appearance and earned a berth in the WNIT.
Five veterans comprise the Kats’ starting lineup this season with 6-3 Angela Beadle at the post, 5-10 Nyha Carter at forward and 5-11 Jazmin Wiley, 5-7 Jasmine Johnson and 5-5 Amanda Barnes on the perimeter.
Beadle became the fourth player from Sam Houston to earn all-tournament honors last March in Katy.
Through two games the junior from Austin leads the Kats in both scoring (15.0) and rebounding (6.5).
Johnson is a three-year starter from Missouri City who is averaging 11.5 points per game.
Louisiana-Lafayette brings a 2-0 record into Friday’s contest with wins of 80-68 over Nebraska-Omaha and 72-62 against Southern.
Jasmin Mills, a 6-1 forward, leads the Ragin’ Cajuns with 18.0 points a game.
Friday’s contest is the first of three consecutive home games for the women at Johnson Coliseum.
The Bearkats play host to Houston Baptist Tuesday, Nov. 19, at 6:30 p.m. and then meet A&M-Commerce in the annual “Pack the House” elementary school game at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 22.
Tickets for Sam Houston women’s basketball games are available now online at www.gobearkats.com or at the SHSU athletic ticket office in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium.
The ticket office telephone is (936) 294-1729.