HUNTSVILLE, Texas -- Marcus Harris scored a career-high 28 points to lead Sam Houston State to an 84-77 win over Abilene Christian on Saturday night.

Harris was 14 of 15 from the free throw line, equaling the number of free throws that the Abilene Christian team made. The Bearkats finished with 26 of 32 free-throw attempts.

Christopher Galbreath Jr. had 21 points and Jamal Williams chipped in 16 for Sam Houston State (14-10, 8-3 Southland Conference), which is now just one game behind league leaders Nicholls and New Orleans.

The Bearkats led for most of the game, taking a 43-32 advantage into the break. Abilene Christian worked its way back into contention and closed to 62-61 with 8:06 remaining following Tevin Foster's trey. Harris and Cameron Delaney made four straight free throws and Harris nailed a 3 to extend the lead to 69-63. Harris made nine free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

Foster led the Wildcats (14-10, 6-5) with 17 points. Jaylen Franklin and Jalone Friday added 15 each and Jaren Lewis chipped in 12 with 12 rebounds.