Bearkats get boost from bench
One week after battling the flu, Sam Houston State guard Jeremy Thomas was part of a bench brigade that left the Texas-Arlington Mustangs sick to their stomachs Wednesday night.
Reggie Rawlins scored 16 points off the bench, and Thomas added 11 in helping the Bearkats take first place in the Southland Conference's West Division with a 73-57 victory over UTA at Johnson Coliseum.
Led by Rawins and Thomas, the Bearkats' reserves outscored UTA's 35-13 as Sam Houston improved to 16-3 overall and 4-2 in the SLC.
"Everyone contributed tonight," said Thomas, who chipped a tooth late in the game. "As the season goes on, depth is going to be important. And with our depth, that will help us in the long run."
The bench helped Sam Houston overcome an early 17-6 deficit. Rawlins scored 10 points in the first half, including a layup that gave the Bearkats a 34-27 halftime lead.
"I just told them to do their job," said Bearkats coach Bob Marlin, whose team responded with a 13-0 run to take a 19-17 lead, then took the lead for good during a 12-2 spurt in the final 3:51 of the first half. "We were in too big a hurry in the early going and just had to settle down."
UTA (14-5, 4-3) shot just 32 percent from the field and was hurt by the loss of post Jermaine Griffin, who was tagged with two fouls in the first minute and sat out the rest of the first half. The Mavericks' leading scorer this season, he finished with four points.
Without Griffin, UTA suffered on the boards, and Sam Houston finished with a 50-35 edge in rebounds. The Bearkats' Ryan Bright had 17 rebounds to go with 14 points, while guard Shamir McDaniel had six boards and 18 points.
Anthony Vereen led UTA, whose four-game win streak was snapped, with 22 points.
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