Darius Gatson led three Sam Houston State players in double figures with 15 points as the Bearkats topped Samford 73-57 Saturday night in a nonconference contest.
Gatson hit 9 of 10 from the foul line and added four assists, while Will Bond had 13 points and Terrance Motley 10 for Sam Houston State (5-5).
Clide Geffrard Jr. led the Bulldogs (2-10) with 16 points and six rebounds, and Raljon Kelly had 15 points.
The Bearkats led 38-30 at halftime. Samford cut the advantage to 44-40 in the first 5 minutes of the second half, but Sam Houston State's Jeremy McKay hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead. About 7 minutes later, Motley hit a jumper to spark a 6-0 run that expanded the lead to 59-47.
The Bearkats scored 19 points off 16 Samford turnovers, including nine steals, and outscored the Bulldogs off the bench 39-6.
