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Evan Agostini/Invision/AP Exchange Jennifer Lawrence won the award for “Best Actress in a Leading Role” for her role in “Silver Linings Playbook,” becoming the second youngest actress in Oscar history to win the award.
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Richard McKinney says a new pope could be a new beginning
Volume 123 / Issue 11
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Baseball take first series of season at home against Louisiana-Monroe
www.HoustonianOnline.com
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Tuesday, February 26, 2013
George Mattingly | The Houstonian
Basketball seniors look to leave SHSU with more than just diploma CONNOR HYDE Sports Reporter Michael Jordan once said “talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” Bearkat shooting guard Britni Martin accompanied by forward Sequeena Thomas blend their offensive instinct to pick apart zone defenses to lead Sam Houston State to their fourth consecutive conference tournament in March. Powering through their last leg of conference play, Martin averages 16.4 points per game (ppg.) and 80 percent at the freethrow line. From the perimeter, Martin scopes defenses and find Thomas under the basket to power for 13.5 ppg. Martin attributes teamwork with Thomas through reading where the forward expects her shot. “Ever since we’ve been playing together we just click,” Martin said. “I always know when she wants the ball and her go-to spots.” As the leading rebounder on the Bearkats squad, Thomas attacks the rim with strength to reestablish momentum finding
Martin for fast breaks into the paint. Out running opponent defenses became SHSU’s silent attack. “We’ve always wanted to be somewhat of a running team because it sometimes takes us too long to set up in our plays,” Martin said. “We’ve done a pretty good job pushing it up and getting it to one of the guards on the wing.” Martin and Thomas’s combined effort on the court sparked SHSU to climb Southland rankings. SHSU experienced a six game winning streak in conference play to rise as the top seed in the Southland Conference until dropping three consecutive games to fall to second seed. After falling to Lamar, SHSU were blown out by Oral Roberts 90-40 and Central Arkansas 71-51. “I think we all as a team felt that one [against ORU] and it hurt us,” Martin said. “Even when we played our preseason games against Big XII teams, Big X teams, big opponents we never got blown out.” Martin and Thomas now narrow their focus to one game at a time and teamwork to regain
their winning ways. “[It’s] the same mentality we’ve tried to adapt this year. Just one game at a time,” Thomas said. Martin exploded against Stephen F. Austin to break SHSU’s drought with 23 points, and secured a seed in the Southland Conference tournament in March. With regained momentum Martin and Thomas hope to reestablish, both hope to buy a spot in the NCAA Tournament to bring SHSU into the national spotlight. “In those games you got to have fun. They’re obviously the favorite and we’re obviously the underdogs so we have nothing to lose so give them all they can take,” Thomas said. As two of the three seniors on the Bearkat squad, Martin and Thomas have prepared the upcoming classes with tough love. “At first its’ just work hard every day; it goes by way to fast,” Martin said. “Just trying to talk them through and trying to guide them because we’re not going to be here forever.” —
SENIORS, page 5
Alex Broussard | The Houstonian
LEAVING A MARK: Seniors Britni Martin and Sequeena Thomas look to leave
SHSU with a championship ring and a winning legacy for the Bearkats.
Teachers, administrators protest Texas Faculty opposes education cuts at the state capitol SGA guns bill JAY R. JORDAN Staff Reporter
AP Photo/Eric Gay
MARCH TO THE CAPITOL: Teachers, students, parents and school administrators marched up Congress Avenue Saturday as
they took part in a rally for Texas public schools at the state Capitol in Austin, Texas. Approximately 2,000 teachers, students, parents and school administrators gathered at the state Capitol, insisting that the Legislature reverse $5.4 billion in cuts to public education after new data surfaced that Texas now spends less per-pupil than almost anywhere else in America.
The Sam Houston State University Faculty Senate unanimously reaffirmed their 2011 resolution to oppose concealed handguns on campus during last Thursday’s meeting. Their recent vote came in response to Student Government Association’s Senate Bill S13-02 that proposes the allowance of concealed handguns on campus in accordance with upcoming legislation. Tracy Steele, Ph.D., chair of the faculty senate, said SHSU faculty are still against having guns on campus. “I think the faculty generally feel… that we are less safe with more guns than more safe with more guns,” Steele said. The resolution the senate reaffirmed was originally issued in 2009 as a joint resolution with the body of public university faculty senates, the Texas Council of Faculty Senates. According to Mark Frank, Ph.D., former chair of faculty senate, the 2009 TCFS resolution was responding to a guns bill in the Texas Legislature that ultimately failed. “Obviously there was some disagreement from some faculty that would in particularly have a different view,” Frank said. “But it wasn’t really —
SENATE, page 6