Box Score

Postgame Interview with Ron Cottrell (video)

HOUSTON – Houston Baptist took only a five-point advantage into halftime, but freshman guard Tyler Russell and junior forward Art Bernardi took over in the second half to help the Huskies cruise to a 93-72 win over Ecclesia in their final non-conference game Saturday night at Sharp Gym.
 
Russell went 11-of-23 from the field to finish with a career-high 22 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and three steals for the Huskies (8-16). Bernardi went 9-for-9 from the field to finish with 20 points and seven rebounds in only 24 minutes. Senior forward Terry Bembry posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, while junior guard Marcus Davis scored 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds in 25 minutes. Junior forward Lamar Thomas grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds to lead HBU on the glass, while sophomore guard Jonathan Evans added nine points and junior guard Anthony Hill had eight. Freshman guard Marcel Smith led the Huskies with four assists.
 
David Eichler went 6-of-13 from the field, including 4-of-9 from 3-point range to lead Ecclesia with 19 points, six rebounds and four assists. Jason Holmstrom went 7-of-12 from the field to finish with 15 points and six rebounds, while Brandon Brzozkiewicz went 4-of-11 from behind the arc to add 12 points. Levi Roberts also scored in double figures with 10 points and four assists.
 
HBU shot 50.6 percent from the field, making 41-of-81 shots, but shot only 3-of-16 from downtown. Ecclesia shot 43.3 percent from the floor for the game, including 11-of-27 from behind the arc. The Huskies went only 8-of-17 from the free-throw line, and the Royals made 9-of-13. HBU held a huge advantage on the boards, outrebounding Ecclesia, 54-28, and grabbing 20 offensive rebounds to outscore the Royals, 24-0, on second-chance opportunities. The Huskies also forced the Royals into 18 turnovers, while committing 12 – but only three in the second half – to hold a 26-11 advantage on points off turnovers. HBU also outscored Ecclesia, 52-18, in the paint.
 
HBU scored the first four points of the second half on a jumper by Bernardi and a putback by Davis to go up by nine, until Holmstrom scored Ecclesia's first basket of the half with 18:16 to go. Bernardi made another jumper, Bembry drove in for a layup and Hill made a free throw to extend the Huskies' lead to 49-37, but Brzozkiewicz hit a three and Collins spun inside for a layup to cut HBU's lead to seven with 16:27 left.
 
The Huskies went on a 7-0 run, which started with a free throw and a layup by Bernardi, then layups by Hill and Russell. Roberts made a three to cut HBU's lead to 11, but Evans made a steal and took it the distance for a layup. After Lyons made back-to-back jumpers to get the Royals back within 12, the Huskies outscored the Royals, 16-2, as Evans finally made the Huskies first 3-pointer of the game at the 12:12 mark of the second half, then Smith followed with their second on the next possession to extend the lead to 68-53.
 
Russell made a steal and a layup, then followed with a jumper to put HBU by 21, then Hill drilled a three to put the Huskies up, 79-55, with 8:33 to go. Bernardi checked out of the game and did not return, joining senior center Joe Latas, who did not play. Putbacks by Thomas and freshman forward Dustin Hobaugh pushed HBU's lead to 28, their largest of the game, until Holmstrom knocked down a three with 3:05 left.
 
HBU scored the first six points of the game on a pair of layups by Bembry and a jumper by Davis, but Collins got Ecclesia on the board with a pair of free throws and another pair by Roberts and a 3-pointer by Eichler tied the game, 7-7, with 17:08 to go in the first half. The Huskies scored the next six again on a layup by Bembry and a pair of layups by Bernardi, but Holmstrom answered with a baseline drive and a jumper and Eichler's jumper cut the Huskies' lead to 15-13 with 13:40 remaining.
 
Brzozkiewicz hit a three at the 12-minute mark to give the Royals an 18-17 lead, but Bembry tied it with a free throw and Russell's reverse layup put the Huskies back on top. Brozozkiewicz nailed another trey at the nine-minute mark to give Ecclesia a one-point lead, then Eichler hit a pair of free throws as the Royals went ahead 23-20. Davis hit a runner and Bernardi made a layup to give the Huskies' a one-point lead, but Eichler and Roberts hit threes to put the Royals ahead, 29-24, with 6:10 left.
 
HBU scored six straight on buckets by Russell, Bernardi and Bembry to go up by one, but Eichler knocked down another three to give Ecclessia a 32-30 lead with 4:24 to go in the half. Russell hit a running baseline jumper, took a feed from Bernardi for a layup and knocked down a long jumper to put the Huskies back up by four, but Holmstrom got a layup on a feed from Roberts to keep the Royals within two. Hobaugh hit a baseline floater just before the buzzer to give HBU a 40-35 advantage heading into halftime.
 
HBU shot 49 percent for the half, but missed all nine of its 3-point attempts, while Ecclesia shot 41 percent, but made 6-of-15 from behind the arc. The Royals also made 7-of-11 from the free-throw line, while the Huskies made 4-of-8. The Huskies had a 27-13 advantage on the glass, and each team turned the ball over nine times in the opening frame.
 
The Huskies return to action and Great West Conference action when they host Chicago State Thursday, followed by NJIT Saturday, both at 7:05 p.m. at Sharp Gym.