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

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.

Courtesy: Brandon K. Scott/SHSU Athletics

Sam Houston State rolled over Nicholls State on Saturday 49-24 in the final regular season game at Bowers Stadium.

Nicholls received the ball first after winning the coin toss and came up with a field goal on the opening drive.

The Bearkats put up 49 straight points from there, until three fourth quarter touchdowns by Nicholls ended the Colonels dry spell.

Most of the SHSU starters were done playing before the end of the third quarter.

Keshawn Hill ran for two touchdowns in the game, while seniors Richard Sincere and Brian Bell rushed for two more.

The Kats also got scoring from their defense when safety Michael Wade returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter.

SHSU followed that up with screen pass from Bell to Torrance Williams that went 56 yards for a touchdown.

With the Kats leading 42-3 and 8:43 still to go in the third, head coach Willie Fritz put his reserves in the game.

That decision eventually resulted in the first of three fourth quarter touchdowns for the Colonels.

The loss puts Nicholls on a four-game losing streak after opening the season 4-2 with wins against Western Michigan and Northwestern State to open the Southland Conference schedule.

SHSU has won three straight since losing on the road to McNeese State on Oct. 19.

The Bearkats travel to Hammond, La., next week to face Southeastern Louisiana with a share of the Southland Conference championship on the line.