HUNTSVILLE – In a game that was tied 10 times with eight lead changes, No. 8 Sam Houston (13-16) defeated No. 9 Jacksonville State 55-53 (10-20) in the first round of the 2025 CUSA Championship Tuesday afternoon at Propst Arena at the Von Braun Center.
In Tuesday’s other opening round game, No. 7 Kennesaw State (13-18) advanced to its first-ever CUSA quarterfinal after taking down No. 10 Texas-El Paso (11-19) 71-63.
A layup by Whitney Dunn and a free throw by Syndee Kemp with a little over a minute left, gave the Bearkats the lead for good.
Nyla Inmon led Sam Houston with 17 points and six rebounds. Fanta Kone tallied 15 points, seven steals and four assists. Her seven steals were the second most in a game in CUSA tournament history.
Elsie Harris led the Gamecocks with 13 points.
Sam Houston will face off against No. 1 Liberty today at 11:30 a.m.
Kennesaw State 71, UTEP 63
Keyarah Berry had a career-high 24 points, shooting 8-13 from the field, 3-6 from beyond the arc and 5-6 from the charity stripe. Prencis Harden posted her 16th double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, all of her 13 points came in the second half. Keiara Griffin chipped in with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Kennesaw State will take on No. 2 Middle Tennessee State today at 2 p.m.
