Photo GalleryHOUSTON – Sam Houston State hit six of its first seven shots and to jump out to big early lead and shot 53.6 percent from the field for the night to go on to an 87-64 win over HBU in Southland Conference basketball Saturday night at Sharp Gym.
Junior guard
Anthony Odunsi led HBU (11-11, 6-6 SLC) with 13 points, six rebounds and three assists, while junior guard
Jourdan Stickler had 11 points.
SHSU (20-5, 11-1) were led by Kaheem Ransom, who had 20 points, five rebounds and five assits. Dakarai Henderson added 13 off the bench, while DeMarcus Gatlin had 12 and Paul Baxter chipped in with 11.
The Bearkats hit 30-of-56 shots, including 7-of-19 from 3-point range, and 20-for-26 from the line, while the Huskies shot 45.2 percent from the field, 7-for-16 from behind the arc, and 19-for-28 from the line. HBU outrebounded SHSU, 30-28.
SHSU opened the game with a 16-2 run, but HBU answered by scoring the next six-straight on a layup by Odunsi, a three by senior guard
Marcel Smith and a free throw by senior center
Ricmonds Vilde to get the Huskies back within single digits. The Bearkats led 31-18 with 6:39 left in the first half, then outscored the Huskies, 14-2, over the next 2:20 to extend their lead to 45-20. SHSU led by as many as 30 in the opening frame, before taking a 55-27 lead into the break.
HBU scored eight of the first nine points of the second half to cut the deficit to 21. SHSU would go back up by 25 with 13:54 remaining, but sophomore forward
Reveal Chukwujekwu converted a three-point play and Smith knocked down a pair of free throws to make the score 66-44 at the 11:24 mark. Down the stretch, the Huskies went on a 7-0 run on a pair of free throws by sophomore forward
Alex Fountain, a three by Stickler, and an alley-oop dunk by Fountain from Smith to make it a 19-point game at the five-minute mark. HBU would not get any closer the rest of the way as their five-game home winning streak came to an end.
The Huskies return to action when they travel to face Lamar Monday at 7 p.m.
