Three of the nine new faces on the Sam Houston State roster scored in double figures Saturday as the Bearkats opened the season with a 76-42 victory over Howard Payne.
Steven Werner had 20 points and 16 rebounds, Konner Tucker added 17 points and Demarcus Gatlin had 11 for Sam Houston, which is rebuilding after winning the Southland Conference West Division the past three years. The Bearkats return only 11.5 points and 12.3 rebounds per game from last season's team.
Brandon Irwin had 13 points for Howard Payne, a Division III school.
Sam Houston used a 10-0 run in the first half to take a 20-10 lead and pushed that to 30-16 at halftime. The Bearkats led by as many as 34 in the second half.
Darius Gatson added six assists for Sam Houston, and Michael Holyfield grabbed nine rebounds.
