Box Score

Postgame Interview with Ron Cottrell and Art Bernardi (video)

CHICAGO – Houston Baptist did not hold a lead for the first 39 minutes and 58 seconds, but trailing by one, senior forward Art Bernardi was fouled with two seconds left and made both free throws as the fourth-seeded Huskies clipped top-seeded NJIT, 62-61, in the semifinals of the Great West Conference Tournament Friday night at the Jones Convocation Center. HBU advances to Saturday's 7:30 p.m. championship game against Chicago State.
 
Bernardi led HBU (14-16) with 18 points, going 5-for-11 from the field and 8-of-9 from the line, and added eight rebounds and four assists. Freshman guard Rob Lewis went 8-for-8 from the line and finished with 12 points, while freshman forward Dauson Womack had 10 points off the bench.
 
Ryan Woods went 7-for-11 from the field, including 2-for-5 from 3-point range to lead NJIT (16-13) with 16 points. PJ Miller went 6-for-9 from the field and had 15 points and five assists, while Chris Flores had 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting. Quentin Bastian led the Highlanders with six rebounds.
 
NJIT shot 53 percent from the field, but 30 percent (3-for-10) from 3-point range. HBU shot 39 percent, but only 23 percent (3-for-13) from behind the arc. The Huskies made up the difference at the free-throw line, hitting 21-of-23, while the Highlanders went 10-for-14. NJIT outrebounded HBU, 29-24.
 
NJIT scored the first six points of the game, until freshman forward Cody Joyce hit a hook shot for HBU. The Highlanders scored the next five to lead 11-2, before sophomore guard Marcel Smith made a floater for HBU, but NJIT scored the next four to lead 15-4 with 12:01 remaining. Bernardi got inside for a layup, then sophomore guard Dewayne Bowden nailed a three to get the Huskies back within six. After Odera Nweke made a pair of free throws, Lewis knocked down a baseline jumper and Womack got a putback layup to cut the Huskies' deficit to 17-13 with 9:18 left.
 
Miller converted a three-point play, but Womack was fouled as he made a layup on the other end, missed the free throw, but the Huskies got the rebound and Womack ended up with another layin to make the score 20-17. A pair free throws by Lewis got HBU within two at 22-20 with 5:32 on the clock. The Huskies nearly tied the game on a putback dunk by senior center Lamar Thomas, but as the ball was halfway down, the rim popped back up and the ball came out.
 
The Highlanders scored eight of the next 10 points for an eight-point advantage, but Bernardi's layup at the buzzer cut the Huskies' deficit to 30-24 at halftime.
 
NJIT shot 50 percent from the field, but 0-for-4 from 3-point range in the first half. HBU shot only 33 percent and 1-of-6 from behind the arc. The Huskies were 5-for-7 at the line, while the Highlanders went 4-for-6. NJIT outrebounded HBU, 19-13. Womack led the Huskies with six points, and Miller had nine for the Highlanders at the break.
 
Joyce opened the second-half scoring with a layup on a feed from Bernardi, but NJIT scored on a jumper by Woods and a three and a pair of free throws by Flores to extend its lead to 37-26. Freshman guard James Harper answered with a three, the teams traded baskets, but Woods knocked down a three to restore the Highlanders' 11-point lead.
 
Bernardi sank two free throws and Lewis hit a pull-up jumper to get HBU back within seven, but Ky Howard hit a jumper for NJIT. Lewis then went to line and made a pair of free throws, then Bernardi scored a three-point play to cut the Highlanders' lead to 46-42 with 10:48 to go. Flores and Woods each made buckets to put the Highlanders back up by eight, but two free throws each by Womack and Lewis got the Huskies back within four.
 
Woods gave NJIT seven-point lead with a three-pointer with 5:42 remaining, but Lewis hit two free throws and Hill made a three-point play as HBU cut it to two with 4:25 left. Howard made one of two free throws, then Smith buried a three to tie the game, 56-56, with 3:22 on the clock. Miller answered with a turnaround jumper, but Womack drove hard for a layup to knot it again. Miller drove in for a layup to regain the lead for the Highlanders, but Bernardi rebounded a Hill missed three and tied it with a layup with 1:22 to go.
 
Howard made one of two free throws to put NJIT ahead by one with 1:10 left, then the Highlanders forced a turnover on the other end. The Huskies came up with a big stop, by forcing a turnover and called timeout with 12 seconds remaining. Bernardi was fouled with two seconds left and knocked down both free throws to give HBU its first lead of the game, 62-61. NJIT inbounded the ball to midcourt, but Howard threw the ball out of bounds as the Huskies held on.