Arkansas-Pine Bluff (1-5) vs. Sam Houston State (3-3)
Johnson Coliseum, Huntsville, Texas; Saturday, 3 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Sam Houston State both look to put winning streaks together . Each program is coming off of a victory in their last game. Sam Houston State earned a 74-65 win at Cal State Bakersfield on Tuesday, while Arkansas-Pine Bluff won 75-67 at home against Champion Christian College on Monday.
LEADING THE CHARGE: The Golden Lions are led by juniors Markedric Bell and Dequan Morris. Bell has averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds while Morris has put up 9.8 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game. The Bearkats have been anchored by Zach Nutall and Kai Mitchell, who have combined to score 26.7 points per contest.MIGHTY MARKEDRIC: Bell has connected on 21.4 percent of the 14 3-pointers he's attempted. He's also made 91.7 percent of his free throws this season.
COLD SPELL: Arkansas-Pine Bluff has lost its last five road games, scoring 49.4 points, while allowing 75 per game.
ASSIST-TO-FG RATIO: The Golden Lions have recently created baskets via assists more often than the Bearkats. Sam Houston State has an assist on 42 of 87 field goals (48.3 percent) across its previous three matchups while Arkansas-Pine Bluff has assists on 43 of 65 field goals (66.2 percent) during its past three games.
STINGY STATE: Sam Houston State has held opposing teams to only 40.2 percent shooting, the lowest percentage among all Southland teams.
