Published: December 02, 2008 11:10 pm      

Chance at a little payback

Bearkats get second shot at North Texas

It’s not very often that the Bearkats get another shot at a nonconference opponent in the same season, but Sam Houston State has a chance to get even with North Texas.

Two weeks after the Mean Green snapped the Bearkats’ 45-game nonconference home winning streak at Johnson Coliseum, Sam Houston State (2-3) heads to Denton today to face North Texas (4-2) at the Super Pit in a rare home-and-home series in the same season at 7 p.m.

“It’s definitely a change than when you have to wait a year to play a home and home,” Bearkats head coach Bob Marlin said Tuesday. “It’s the first time in 11 years that we have done it. When we scheduled it we were thinking that it would be like playing in conference. It’s a nice road trip for us and the first game is still fresh on our guys’ mind.”

North Texas won the first meeting with Sam Houston State 76-71 on Nov. 20. The Mean Green shot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from behind the arc, including a 4-for-5 performance in the second half from 3-point range.

The Bearkats, on the other hand, hit only 1-of-7 long-range attempts in the second half of the loss to the Mean Green. Sam Houston State also struggled at the free throw line. The Kats went 15-of-29 from the stripe, while North Texas was 20-of-29.

The good news is that Sam Houston has played better since then and is coming off a big 84-65 victory over Wright State on Saturday. In that contest, the Bearkats shot 60 percent from the field, 50 percent from behind the arc and 73 percent at the line.

The defense has also improved. Sam Houston held Wright State to 39 percent shooting on the way to snapping a three-game losing streak.

“We feel like we have gotten better since then,” Marlin added. “We have worked hard at getting better defensively. The first game, they made shots and played better defense than we did. We shot poorly from 3 and at the free-throw line.

“Those four 3s they hit in the second half were all timely. But we have played three good halves in a row going back to the second half against Western Michigan and are coming off our most complete game of the season.”

Since beating the Bearkats, the Mean Green have gone 2-1 with victories over Indiana State and Jackson State. The loss came on the road at Houston by 33 points (84-51).

Sophomore point guard Josh White, who scored 19 points against the Bearkats, is still North Texas’ leading scorer at 14.5 points a game. Senior guard Collin Dennis is averaging 9.3 points, while senior guard Adam McCoy and sophomore post George Odufuwa each chip in 7.3.

Junior Corey Allmond leads the Bearkats in scoring at 18.2 and has scored 20 or more in three games this season. Senior guard DeLuis Ramirez is averaging 11.2 points and a team-high 7.4 rebounds, while junior point guard Ashton Mitchell is scoring 10.4 and dishing out 8.8 assists per game.

“Coach Marlin and I kind of fall in the same spot because it is kind of difficult for us to get home games,” North Texas head coach Johnny Jones said after the first meeting between the school. “It fit in for both of us this year, playing the home and home, and I guess we are going to have to approach it like a conference game because we will play twice.

“It’s a tough game for us, and I know they are going to make some adjustments. I’m sure it won’t be any different, another hard-fought basketball game up there in Denton.”