The YellowJacket men's basketball team made the trip to Huntsville on Saturday for an exhibition matchup with NCAA Division I member Sam Houston State.
 
While the game had no impact on LeTourneau's season record, the Bearkats were hosting their regular season opener and the grand opening of the newly renovated Johnson Coliseum. Sam Houston was picked to win the Southland Conference in preseason polls as they returned all five of its starters and their top seven scorers from the 2015-16 season.
 
They YellowJackets got out to a great start as the game was tied at 15-15 at the 12-minute mark before SHSU scored eight straight and would push the lead to 51-25 at the half.
 
Sophomore CJ Bird and freshman Nate West led the LeTourneau scoring as the duo poured in 12 points each. Junior Sam Talbert added 10.
 
The YellowJacket front court battled foul trouble all game long but got six points and five rebounds from junior transfer Caylab Herrera.
 
"Our team gained invaluable experience tonight. Sam Houston is picked to win the Southland for a reason and getting to play them for their season opener will only make us tougher," said head coach Dan Miller after the game. "There were some definite positives from tonight and other things that stood out that we need to improve. I am excited to take that and get back to work as we have big goals in ASC play this year and this experience will help."
 
LeTourneau will open the regular season on Tuesday as they take on Austin College in Sherman, Texas at 7 p.m.