Mirtchell's career high 27 leads Sam Houston St. past Rice
HOUSTON -- Kai Mitchell scored a career-high 27 points -- nearly double his season average (14.2 ppg) -- and grabbed 13 rebounds as Sam Houston State topped Rice 75-61 on Sunday.
Mitchell was 11-for-17 from the field and made all four free throws. Zach Nutall added 14 points for Sam Houston State (9-4), which earned its fifth consecutive win. Chad Bowie added 11 points.
Chris Mullins scored 13 points to lead the Owls (8-5). Payton Moore and Trey Murphy III each scored 11 points. The Bearkats shot 51% (30-for-59) and owned the boards 40-34.
Sam Houston State visits McNeese State to open Southland Conference play on Thursday. Rice plays Marshall on the road on Thursday in a Conference USA opener.
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Elements of this story were generated by Automated Insights, http://www.automatedinsights.com/ap, using data from STATS LLC, https://www.stats.com
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2020-2021 Southland Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston State | 6-0 | - | 12-5 |
| Stephen F. Austin | 5-0 | 0.5 | 9-2 |
| Nicholls | 6-1 | 0.5 | 9-5 |
| Abilene Christian | 4-1 | 1.5 | 12-3 |
| Incarnate Word | 3-2 | 2.5 | 6-6 |
| New Orleans | 3-3 | 3 | 4-10 |
| SE Louisiana | 2-4 | 4 | 4-11 |
| Central Arkansas | 2-4 | 4 | 3-11 |
| Northwestern State | 2-4 | 4 | 3-14 |
| Lamar | 1-4 | 4.5 | 3-11 |
| McNeese | 1-5 | 5 | 7-8 |
| Houston Baptist | 1-5 | 5 | 2-12 |
| Texas A&M-CC | 0-3 | 4.5 | 3-9 |
2020-2021 Conference USA Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Kentucky | 6-2 | - | 13-4 |
| Old Dominion | 4-2 | 1 | 8-4 |
| Marshall | 3-3 | 2 | 9-4 |
| Florida Atlantic | 3-3 | 2 | 8-7 |
| Charlotte | 3-3 | 2 | 7-7 |
| Florida Int'l | 2-6 | 4 | 8-8 |
| Middle Tennessee | 1-5 | 4 | 3-9 |
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVR |
| UAB | 5-1 | - | 12-2 |
| North Texas | 3-1 | 1 | 7-5 |
| Louisiana Tech | 5-3 | 1 | 12-5 |
| Rice | 4-4 | 2 | 10-6 |
| UTEP | 3-5 | 3 | 7-7 |
| UT San Antonio | 3-5 | 3 | 7-8 |
| Southern Miss | 3-5 | 3 | 7-8 |