Photo GalleryHOUSTON – Houston overcame an eight-point deficit early in the second half and used a huge advantage from the free-throw line to hold off HBU, 83-76, in non-conference basketball Tuesday night at Hofheinz Pavilion.
Junior guard
Anthony Odunsi scored a career-high 18 points for the Huskies (4-4), going 4-for-10 from the field and 9-for-12 from the free throw line, while adding four rebounds and four assists. Freshman center
Josh Ibarra also had a career-high with 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Junior forward
Colter Lasher chipped in with 12 points, and junior guard
Jourdan Stickler had eight off the bench.
Jherrod Stiggers went 8-for-17 from the field, including 5-for-12 from 3-point range, and 12-for-15 from the line to lead the Cougars (5-1) with 33 points. Devonta Pollard had 17 points and 10 rebounds, and Danrad Knowles had 12 points and four boards.
HBU shot 48.2 percent from the field, 7-for-18 from behind the arc, and 15-for-21 from the free throw line. UH shot 44.0 percent, went 9-for-28 from 3-point range and 30-for-43 from the line. The Huskies outrebounded their opponent for the seventh time in eight games, 35-27.
Knowles' second three in the early going gave UH a 6-4 lead. Stiggers made a three to put the Cougars ahead, 13-8, but Ibarra's third bucket in a row for the Huskies kept them within three. A layup by Cavon Baker extended UH's lead to six, but Fountain buried a 16-footer for HBU. Stiggers made another three to make the score 21-12 with 8:45 to go, but the Huskies answered by scoring the next six as sophomore center
Cody Stetler gathered a rebound and powered up for a layup, senior guard
Tyler Russell made a layup, and Stetler's tip-in with 6:38 left made it a three-point game.
Pollard sank a pair of free throws, but Stetler converted a three-point play as the Huskies closed back to within two. After Stiggers hit one-of-two from the line, Odunsi knocked down a pair to make the score 26-25 with 4:11 to go. Eric Weary responded with a three for the Cougars, but Lasher matched it with a triple on the other end, then made a steal and a layup to give the Huskies a 30-29 lead with 2:25 remaining. Stiggers made a steal and took it the distance to give the Cougars the lead back with 1:32 on the clock, but Odunsi nailed a three on the other end and senior guard
Marcel Smith fed Ibarra for a layup with six seconds left to give the Huskies a 35-31 heading into the break.
HBU shot 51.7 percent in the first half, 2-of-6 from 3-point range, and 3-of-5 from the line, while holding UH to 32.1 percent, 5-of-17 from long distance, and 8-for-12 from the line. The Huskies outrebounded the Cougars, 21-15 in the first half and outscored them, 24-6, in the paint. Odunsi led HBU with nine points and Ibarra had eight at the break, while Stiggers led UH with nine.
Smith opened the second half with a corner trey, but Weary with a deep three for the Cougars. Senior center
Ricmonds Vilde found Lasher in the corner for three and after Stiggers made two free throws, Lasher drilled another triple to put HBU ahead, 44-36, with 15:59 to go. LeRon Barnes fed Knowles for a dunk, Pollard drove inside for layup, and Stiggers made a three-point play to cut the Huskies' lead to 45-43, but Lasher dished to Ibarra for an easy layin off the glass.
Stiggers hit two more free throws, then Stickler followed his own miss with a putback off the window with just under 13 minutes to play. Stiggers made back-to-back threes to regain the lead for UH at 51-49 with 12:15 left. Ibarra hit a pair of free throws to tie it, then a putback by Fountain put the Huskies back up by two. Pollard's three-point play with 11:04 on the clock gave UH a 54-53 advantage, but Stickler fed Ibarra on an inbounds pass as HBU went back up by one. Stiggers made another three with to put the Cougars back on top, 57-55, with 10:24 left and a skirmish between the two teams ensued. Pollard and Russell were assessed technical fouls, and Russell was ejected from the game.
Stickler made one-of-two for HBU, while Stiggers buried all four technical free throws to put UH ahead, 61-56. Stickler made a layup and drilled a three to knot the score again right at the nine-minute mark. Baker finished a three-point play and JC Washington made one-of-two from the line, but Vilde grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back with a jumper off the glass. Odunsi tied it, 66-66, on a layup with 6:24 to go, then Knowles and Baker each hit a pair of free throws as the Cougars went back up by four. Odunsi sank a pair of free throws, but Washington went up-and-under for a layup and Stiggers got free on a fast break to give UH a six-point lead.
Fountain buried a three with 4:25 remaining to cut the deficit to 74-71, but Lasher missed a potential game-tying three with 2:50 left. Pollard drove in for a layup to put UH ahead by five, then the Huskies turned it over with 2:02 on the clock. Pollard's sweeping one-hander extended the Cougars' lead to seven, then Odunsi made two from the line, Lasher made a steal, then made one-of-two from the line as UH led, 78-74, with 51 seconds to go.
Washington hit one-of-two for UH, and Odunsi did the same on the other end for HBU. Knowles made the second of two, and Stickler was called for being out-of-bounds after a missed three by Smith with 36 seconds left. Baker made one-of-two to put the Cougars ahead by six, then Lasher missed a three with 20 seconds on the clock, and UH held on for the seven-point margin.
The Huskies return to action when they travel to face UC-Riverside Saturday at 3 p.m. CST in Riverside, Calif. HBU returns from Christmas break and returns home when it hosts Ecclesia Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. at Sharp Gym.
