By Avery Wheelock
SHSU men come up short in CUSA semifinals
The Sam Houston Bearkats’ season ended Friday night, barring a postseason tournament invitation, with a 79-73 loss to the Kennesaw State Owls in the Conference USA tournament semifinals.
This was the third time the teams had seen each other this season, with Sam Houston winning the previous two matchups. The Bearkats led 37-31 at halftime but were outscored 48-36 in the second half. SHSU struggled with foul trouble and fatigue, as injuries forced the Bearkats to utilize a seven-man rotation.
Leading scorer Po’Boigh King was among the SHSU players to miss the game due to injury.
Jacobe Coleman scored a team high of 18 points for the Bearkats. Jacob Walker added 17 points, while Vejko Ilic also finished with 17 points.
After the game, Sam Houston head coach Chris Mudge had an emotional message about senior Damon Nicholas Jr.
“There’s a lot to be proud of and a lot to be excited about for Sam Houston basketball right now, and I couldn’t do it without this guy,” Mudge said. “This guy has been with me as a head coach the entire time, one of the most loyal and hard-working winners you could ask for.
“It’s going to be really hard coaching without him, but he’s going to go off and do great things. He’s going to be a great professional player in whatever he decides to do. He could go run for president, and he’d find a way to do it.”
Amir Taylor led the way for the Owls with 23 points. The Owls shot 48% from the field, while the Bearkats were held to 44%.
Kennesaw State will play Louisiana Tech in Saturday’s CUSA championship game.
Bearkat women fall to Liberty in CUSA quarterfinals
By Allyson Collins
The Sam Houston women’s basketball team lost to the Liberty Flames on Thursday in the quarterfinals of the CUSA conference tournament, falling 89-57.
The Bearkats kept it close during the first quarter with only a five-point score differential. The Flames outscored the Bearkats 25-12 in the second quarter to start pulling away.
The largest lead of the game came midway through the third quarter, with the Flames having a 32-point lead on the Bearkats. The Bearkats tried to have an answer at the end of the quarter, cutting the lead to 20.
Whitney Dunn led the Bearkats with 20 points, which marked her third 20-point game of the season. Nyla “Pop” Immon had 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Despite the loss, the Bearkats recorded their most wins since the 2019-20 season, and their best finish since joining Conference USA.
