SAN MARCOS, Texas – Senior forward
Shanice Steenholdt recorded game highs of 19 points and 16 rebounds as HBU defeated Texas State, 61-56, Saturday afternoon at Strahan Coliseum.
Steenholdt went 7-of-15 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free-throw line to lead HBU (1-2).
Tayler Jefferson scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while
Lisa Zderadicka came off the bench to score seven. The Huskies shot 41 percent from the floor and forced 19 Bobcat turnovers.
Kaitlin Walla came off the bench to score 15 points for Texas State (1-2), while Meghan Braeuer added 10. The Bobcats shot 35 percent from the floor.
Steenholdt scored the first six points of the game, but a jumper in the paint by Kileah Mays stopped the run and began a 12-0 run for Texas State that forced HBU to take a timeout at the 14:13-mark and the Huskies down six, 12-6. A jumper by Jefferson stopped the 14-0 Bobcat run and made the score, 14-8, with 13 minutes remaining in the first half.
The Huskies put the defensive pressure on and forced several Bobcat turnovers. A three-pointer by Zderadicka tied the match at 21-all, erasing a deficit as big as 10 as one point. Erin Peoples came right back down the floor for Texas State and had an and-one play to bring the Bobcats back up three, 24-21, with 5:24 remaining in the opening half. Back-to-back scores by Jefferson – two free throws and a fast-break layup – gave the Huskies their first lead since 6-0, as HBU led 25-24 with 4:20 to go.
A put-back by
Monet Neal gave HBU the lead right back, 27-26, with just over two minutes to go in the first half. The Huskies closed out the first half on an 8-0 run, forcing two Bobcat turnovers in the process, to lead Texas State at halftime, 33-26.
Steenholdt and Jefferson combined for 22 first-half points, as Steenholdt led all players with 12 points and seven rebounds and Jefferson had 10 points. HBU shot 47 percent from the floor. Walla came off the bench to score a team-high nine points for Texas State, while Mays had five points and five rebounds. The Bobcats shot 34 percent from the floor.
Ashleigh Nwanguma scored the first three points of the second half to build the Huskies' lead to 10, 36-26, two minutes into the second half.
Texas State used a 10-0 run in a span of four minutes to turn a 36-36 deficit to a 36-36 tie, thanks to an Ayriel Anderson three-pointer.
Maisie Elston answered with a jumper to put the Huskies back on top, but the Bobcats nailed a trey in the corner to lead by one, 39-38, with 11:49 remaining in regulation.
The teams went back and forth, exchanging leads. A beautiful Zderadicka bounce pass leading to an
Anna Strickland layup gave HBU a 44-43 lead with 9:42 remaining in the second half. The teams continued to battle back and forth. The Huskies and Bobcats entered the final media timeout with HBU holding a one-point lead, 54-53 lead, following a layup by Steenholdt with 3:56 to go in the game.
HBU scored back-to-back buckets to take a four-point lead, 59-54, and force Texas State to take a timeout with just under two minutes to go in regulation.
HBU took a timeout holding a five-point lead, 61-56, and Texas State about to take two free throws with 19.7 seconds remaining. The Huskies were able to run out the clock and defeat the Bobcats for the second-consecutive meeting.
HBU will host Southwestern Assemblies of God, Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 6:30 pm in its home opener.
