Smith, Sam Houston St. beat Jackson St. 75-60

Nov 20, 2019, 07:09 am

JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. -- RJ Smith scored all of his 12 points in the second half and grabbed nine rebounds to help Sam Houston State beat Jackson State 75-60 on Monday in the Cayman Islands Classic mainland.

Chad Bowie and Kai Mitchell each scored 12 points and Bubba Furlong added 11 for Sam Houston State (3-3).

Smith scored six points during a 16-2 run that gave the Bearkats a 64-45 lead with seven minutes to play and they led by double figures the rest of the way. Jackson State missed eight in a row from the field, made just 2-of-6 free throws and committed two turnovers during that stretch.

Furlong and Mitchell had four points apiece during an 11-4 spurt that gave SHSU a 28-19 lead with five minutes left in the first half but the Bearkats missed their next eight field-goal attempts as Jackson State scored 12 of the next 14 points to take its first lead since 2-0. Delaney's layup gave SHSU a 32-31 advantage at the break.

Chris Howell had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Venji Wallis also scored 12 for Jackson State (0-4). The Tigers have lost seven in a row dating to last season.