Demarcus Gatlin scored 17 points and Konner Tucker added 14 as Sam Houston State beat Northwestern State 50-37 on Wednesday night.
Antuan Bootle pulled down a career-high 20 rebounds and Marcus James grabbed 11 for the Bearkats who outrebounded Northwestern State 55-46.
Sam Houston State (12-16, 6-7 Southland Conference) took its first lead of the game, 7-6, behind a 3-pointer from Gatlin and wouldn't look back, pushing that lead to six, 20-14, at halftime and 10, 30-20, midway through the second half.
Northwestern State outscored Sam Houston State in the paint 24-16 and tallied 18 points off 23 Bearkats turnovers but the Demons shot just 19.7 percent (13 of 66) from the field, including 0 of 26 from 3-point range.
William Mosely led Northwestern State (15-13, 7-6) with nine points, 16 rebounds and five blocks but no other Demon scored over six points in the loss.
