HUNTSVILLE, TX -- Heading into game five of a six-game road swing, the Sam Houston women’s basketball team faces another tough non-conference foe Friday when the Kats take on the UTEP Miners.
The two teams tip off at 6:30 p.m. in El Paso.
The Miners bring a 10-1 record into Friday’s meeting that includes victories over Arizona State, Arizona and Kansas State. UTEP is 7-0 at home this year. The team’s only loss was a 69-68 thriller at New Mexico State.
Sam Houston stands 3-7 but that record includes losses to Delaware, TCU and Nebraska.
“Our number one goal in our pre-conference games is to get better for Southland play,” SHSU head coach Brenda Nichols said. “You get better playing better people and we’ve continued to get better every game.”
The Bearkats are coming off a strong performance at the Long Beach Classic in California last week where Sam Houston defeating Albany 71-68 in overtime and lost on a last second free throw to host Long Beach State 50-49.
Sam Houston’s three seniors – Britni Martin, Sequeena Thomas and Chanice Smith – are combining for 39.5 of the team’s 61.4 points per game. All three are scoring in double figures with Martin averaging 16.3 points, Thomas 13.0 and Smith 10.2.
Thomas, who has posted both double figure points and rebounds in SHSU’s last seven games, also is averaging 13.3 boards per contest.
UTEP is led by 6-2 center Anete Steinberga and 6-1 forward Kayla Thorton who own scoring averages of 14.1 and 12.5 points, respectively.
Following their trip to El Paso, the Bearkats will wrap up non-conference action at Houston Baptist Wednesday, Jan. 2, with a 7 p.m. game. Sam Houston opens its Southland Conference women’s schedule Friday Jan. 4 at 1 p.m. with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
