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HOUSTON – Senior forward Monet Neal and junior guard Heidi Sihvola combined for 35 points and 25 rebounds as HBU women's basketball defeated visiting Trinity, 60-46, Wednesday afternoon from Sharp Gym.

Neal scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-19 shooting and 2-of-2 from the line and her 17 rebounds were the most since she pulled down 18 against Northwestern State last January. Neal also set a new personal mark with four blocked shots. Not to be outdone was Sihvola, who dropped 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and set a new personal best with four 3-pointers made. The 17 points were the most since she set a career high with 19 points last December against McMurry. Against Trinity, Sihvola tied her career high in rebounds with eight. As a team, HBU shot 34 percent from the floor.

Trinity (6-1) was led by their leading scorer, Anecia Richardson, with 12 points and seven rebounds. Allison Staley followed with nine points. The Tigers shot 36 percent from the floor in the game.

The shots weren't falling for Trinity in the first quarter, as the Tigers shot 21 percent (3-of-14) from the floor and trailed the Huskies, 15-6. With HBU leading by only one, 5-4, the Huskies closed the final 7:41 outscoring Trinity, 10-2.

The second quarter was the complete opposite, with the Tigers outscoring HBU, 11-5, and the Huskies shooting just 1-of-19 from the floor. Staley hit a three-pointer with 33 seconds left in the first half to cut the Huskies' lead to three, 20-17.

Neal paced the Huskies' offense with eight first-half points, while Anna Strickland had 12 rebounds. Richardson led the Tigers with seven points. HBU shot just 19 percent in the opening half compared to 29 percent for the Tigers.

HBU scored the third quarter's first points on an Adriiana Jackson jumper, but Staley answered with another trey to cut the Trinity deficit to two, 22-20. The teams exchanged baskets before HBU closed the quarter on a 10-2 run to lead the Tigers by 10, 38-28, culminated by back-to-back Sihvola treys.

The momentum continued for HBU in the fourth quarter, as the Huskies outscored the Tigers, 8-3, for a 15-point lead, 46-31, with 7:33 remaining in regulation. Trinity cut the deficit to 12, but could get no closer.

Neal posted a second-half double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds to lead HBU, while Sihvola had 16 points. Staley led the Tigers with six points. HBU shot 50 percent from the floor in the half compared to 44 percent for Trinity.

HBU (3-3) plays at Texas Southern Saturday at 2 p.m. from TSU's H&PE Arena, located at 3100 Cleburne St.