HOUSTON - Baron Sauls set a school-record for steals in a single game and the HBU Huskies picked up a 71-64 win over the visiting Utah Valley Wolverines in Sharp Gym on Tuesday evening.
Sauls finished the night with nine steals, breaking a 22-year old record for most steals in a game by an HBU player. The senior guard also had 19 points, seven assists and six rebounds. He was 8-15 from the floor and 3-5 from three-point range.
The Huskies fell behind early, trailing 13-8 within the first eight minutes. HBU then used a 12-0 burst to lead by seven less than two and a half minutes later. HBU extended its lead as high as 10 in the half but let the Wolverines cut it to 35-31 at the intermission.
In the second stanza, the Huskies' maintained their lead and used a nine-point run to gain their biggest lead of the game at 15. UVU kept coming and cut a 12-point deficit to three with 4:14 left to play. The Wolverines got back-to-back buckets from Ryan Toolson that made it a 66-64 game with 1:10 on the clock. After Gordon Watt made it a four-point game, Justin Wilson and Sean Morris picked up huge steals at mid-court on UVU's two ensuing possessions to help push the Huskies ahead by seven to end the game.
Watt led all players with 22 points on 8-18 shooting while also pulling down seven rebounds. Junior post Mario Flaherty added 10 points for the Huskies on 4-6 shooting from the floor.
As a team, HBU turned the ball over a season-low six times while forcing Utah Valley in to 20 turnovers. The Huskies got 14 points off turnovers and dominated the paint, finishing with 40 points in the paint. Utah Valley held a distinct advantage on the boards, out-rebounding HBU 47-32.
The Huskies were 28-65 from the field and 6-20 from three-point land. The Huskies were able to overcome a poor night at the charity stripe, ending the night with a 42.9 percent mark from the foul line.
HBU improves to 2-16 on the season and the loss drops the Wolverines to 8-7. The two teams will meet again to close out the season in Orem, Utah on March 4.
The Huskies hit the road for their next game as they take on
