Bearkat Bowlers Off To Best Start In Season
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
The No. 6-ranked Sam Houston bowling team went unbeaten in five traditional team matches to take over first place after two days in the All State Sugar Bowl Collegiate Bowling Invitational hosted by Tulane in Kenner, La.
The Bearkats will go into Sunday’s best-of-seven baker bracket play the No. 1 with a total pins total of 8,818.
The 5-0 mark Saturday gives the Kats an 8-1 record in dual match play in the event.
The highlight of Saturday’s action was a new Sam Houston team high game set at 1180 highlighted by Becca Pittser’s 279 game.
Friday in quad baker action, Sam Houston defeated Tulane 812-6181, Florida A&M 681-675 and Louisiana Tech 784-724.
No. 9 Stephen F. Austin handed SHSU its only loss of the tournament in a 774-748 decision.
On Saturday, the Kats knocked over Prairie View A&M 1180-978, Alabama State 1024-897, Texas Southern 967-906, Jackson State 940-637 and Bethune-Cookman 923-848.
Sam Houston totaled 3,783 pins on Friday and 5,033 on Saturday.
Stephen F. Austin (7-2 in the tournament) is in second place with 8,817 total pins.
Texas Southern is in third in the 11-team field with 8,555 pins.
“We’re right where we need to be going into the final day,” SHSU head coach Brad Hagen said.
“The Bearkats are defending champions in the Tulane event. Today was a solid day and we made a lot of good shots when needed. We must take today’s momentum and use that straight out of the gate Sunday.”
Sam Houston is the event’s defending champion.
The Kats won 11 of their 12 matches in last year’s event, defeated then No. 2 ranked Arkansas State in the finals.
The SHSU bowlers are one of four nationally ranked squads in the 11-team field at the All Star Lanes in Kenner.
Bearkats Maintains No.2 Ranking
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
Sam Houston State remains No. 2 in the Sports Network FCS Top 25 and moved from third to second in the NCAA FCS coaches’ poll Monday.
The Bearkats extended their home winning streak to 19 victories with a 14-3 homecoming victory over Lamar last Saturday.
The winning streak is the longest current mark in FCS football.
Sam Houston stands 5-1 for the season.
The only loss on the record was to FBS top 10 powerhouse Texas A&M.
The Kats were only nine points down to the Aggies in the third quarter of that matchup.
SHSU is 1-0 in Southland play.
North Dakota State, Sam Houston’s foe in the past two FCS national championship games, remains No. 1 in both the Sports Network and NCAA FCS Coaches Top 25.
The Bearkats have been ranked among the FCS top 25 for 31 consecutive weeks.
The team debuted in the national poll on Sept. 9, 2011.
After an 11-0 regular season in 2011, Sam Houston rose to No. 1 before entering the playoffs.
The Kats have finished No. 2 in each of the past two final rankings.
Sam Houston has rated among the FCS top 10 for 27 consecutive polls.
The Bearkats travel to Lake Charles, La., to take on McNeese State Saturday at 7 p.m.
The Cowboys stand No. 9 in the Sports Network poll.
Like, SHSU, McNeese is 5-1 for the year and 1-0 in Southland action.
Sam Houston will return to Elliott T. Bowers Stadium to play host to Northwestern State on Saturday Oct. 26.
Bearkats Edges Cardinals 14-3
Courtesy: Brandon K. Scott
/SHSU Athletics
Sam Houston State opened Southland Conference action with a 14-3 win against Lamar on Saturday.
Senior quarterback Brian Bell ran for a touchdown in the second quarter and threw for another in the third quarter for the game’s only touchdowns.
Lamar made only two trips to the red zone before a two-hour lightning delay stalled action with 4:30 left in the fourth quarter.
A 47-yard field goal by Alex Ball was the Cardinals’ only score.
Lamar’s defense held all-time Southland Conference leading rusher Timothy Flanders to 83 yards on 28 carries, his lowest output since the Kats season opener against Houston Baptist.
The SHSU defense held Lamar to just five yards of total offense in the third quarter.
After a scoreless first quarter, Bell ran for a 45-yard touchdown with 7:53 to go in the half.
Ball connected on the field goal with 10 seconds to spare until halftime.
In the third quarter, Bell found sophomore wide receiver Stephen Williams in the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown toss.
The Bearkats improved to 5-1, 1-0 in conference play.
SHSU holds the longest active home winning streak at 19.
The last time SHSU dropped a game at Bowers Stadium was against McNeese State in 2010.
Bearkats Run At NCAA’s Elite Eight Came To A Screaching Halt
Courtesy: Paul Ridings, Jr., SHSU Sports Information
CANTON, Mich — After a strong first day at the NCAA Bowling Championship, Sam Houston State couldn’t duplicate the same success on Friday afternoon.
They dropped a pair of matches to Arkansas State and Fairleigh Dickinson, eliminating them from the championship.
“It was a tough day for us,” said head coach Brad Hagen. “I thought we played pretty well, we just couldn’t come up with the big shots when we needed them. We had hoped to improve on our showing two years ago on Friday, but unfortunately it didn’t happen for us.”
The Kats entered the day as the No. 3 qualifier, following a 5-2 day during Thursday’s qualifying round.
Sam Houston defeated five of the eight seeded teams Thursday including wins over Central Missouri, Nebraska, Arkansas State, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin-Whitewater to earn the No. 3 seed in Friday’s best-of-seven baker bracket play.
But the Kats got off to a slow start in the opening match against No. 6 Arkansas State.
Arkansas State came out hot and never slowed down, sweeping the Kats 4-0 in the opening round of the best-of-7 baker matches.
In the opening game, the Red Wolves started with three straight strikes while the Kats left the first two frames open.
A late charge by the Kats was not enough as they fell 210-192.
Game 2 was more of the same in a 210-192 loss for the Kats.
In Game 3 SHSU started strong, but an open frame in the fourth for the Kats, followed by four straight strikes by ASU lifted the Red Wolves to a 215-193 victory.
In the final game of the match, open frames once again cost the Bearkats, failing to pick up the spare in three of the first five frames and they couldn’t recover in a 193-172 loss.
“It is really difficult to try and come out of the losers bracket to get to the finals,” Hagen said. “We knew the importance of the first match, but just never could get anything going for us.”
In the final match of the day, the Kats fell 4-2 to Fairleigh Dickinson.
FDU built an early lead taking the first two games.
The Knights were hot in Game 1, hitting strikes in seven of the first nine frames, cruising to a 227-166 win.
In game 2 the Kats couldn’t hit consecutive strikes and FDU closed with six straight for a 205-178 win.
Sam Houston bounced back for a win in game 3, winning 201-195.
FDU left the sixth frame open and the Kats answered with three straight from the 5th-7th.
Erin Brown hit a strike in the 9th to lift the Kats.
In game four, the SHSU didn’t roll a strike until the ninth frame.
Michelle Secours closed with three strikes in the 10th, but it wasn’t enough in a 214-193 loss.
The Kats stayed in the match in the fifth, escaping with a 181-179 win.
They left the 10th frame open, but FDU came right back and did the same thing to give the Bearkats the win.
Needing a win to force a seventh game, the Kats had no answer for and FDU team that rolled their best game of the match.
The Knights closed with six consecutive strikes to win the game 247-197 and close out the match.
“They gave us an opportunity there in the fifth to get back in the match, but we couldn’t take advantage,” Hagen said. “Give credit to FDU, they finished strong.”