Box Score

HOUSTON – Chicago State had four players score in double figures as they scored a 71-58 road win over Houston Baptist  Saturday night at Sharp Gym to secure a first-round bye in next week's Great West Conference Tournament.
 
Senior forward Art Bernardi posted a double-double for the Huskies (12-16, 3-5 GWC) with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Rob Lewis also had 14 points and added six rebounds and three assists. Sophomore guard Marcel Smith had nine points, hitting three 3-pointers, and four boards.
 
Nate Duhon went 6-of-11 from the field and 9-of-10 from the line to lead Chicago State (9-21, 3-5) with 21 points and seven rebounds. Jamere Dismukes added 17 points, five rebounds and five assists, and Quinton Pippen had 12 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Matt Ross added 10 points.
 
Chicago State shot 41.4 percent from the field, but only 28.6 percent (6-for-21) from behind the arc, and made 17-of-20 from the line. HBU shot 39.0 percent from the field, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range, and made 21-of-32 from the line. The Huskies outrebounded the Cougars, 38-27, but HBU turned the ball over 21 times.
 
The Cougars got back-to-back threes from Dismukes and Corey Gray and scored the first eight points of the game. Smith got the Huskies on the board with his first three of the game, but Duhon gave Chicago State a 12-3 lead on a jumper with 14:56 left. The Huskies scored eight of the next 10 points as a pair of free throws by freshman guard James Harper cut the deficit to three. Ross gave the Cougars a seven-point lead at 19-12 with 9:42 to go, but the Huskies answered back and took a one-point lead, 22-21, on a three from Smith, four-straight points from freshman forward Dauson Womack and a free throw by senior guard Anthony Hill with 6:13 remaining.
 
Ross knocked down a three to put Chicago State back up by four with just under three minutes to go, and the Cougars took a 34-28 lead into halftime. Going into the locker room, HBU was called for two technical fouls.
 
Duhon sank all four free throws before a tick came off the second-half clock to put the Cougars ahead by 10. The Huskies scored the next four points to get to within six, but Chicago State quickly went back up by 11 and led by double-digits the rest of the way.
 
The Huskies will be the fourth seed at the Great West Conference tournament and will play the fifth seed, Utah Valley, Thursday at 7:30 p.m. at the Jones Convocation Center in Chicago.