Gilberto Clavell had 21 points and 12 rebounds Saturday to lead Sam Houston State to a 66-57 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the Southland Conference opener for both teams.
Josten Crow added 14 points and 14 rebounds for Sam Houston (9-5), which prevailed despite making only 10 of 19 shots from the free-throw line and 4 of 18 from 3-point range.
Eddie Williams led Stephen F. Austin (10-4) with 20 points. Jordan Glynn added 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Sam Houston led 29-22 at halftime, but SFA battled back to take a three-point lead with 14:27 to play in the second half.
After 10 lead changes, the last with 6:26 remaining, the Bearkats ended the game with a 16-8 run. Preston Brown scored the go-ahead basket on a jumper to give Sam Houston a 50-49 lead.
