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Buy Photos HereHOUSTON – In front of a crowd of 1,075, senior
Anthony Odunsi went to the line with three seconds left and knocked down the game-winning free throw, as the HBU men's basketball team captured a 70-69 thriller over Sam Houston State on Saturday night inside Sharp Gym.
With the win, the Huskies (14-7, 8-0 SLC) pick up their 10th straight victory and improve to 10-0 at home on the season. The perfect record to this point in Sharp Gym is the best start for the program since the 2006-07 season, when HBU finished 13-0 on its home court, while the 10 straight victories is the most since the 2004-05 squad's 13-game run. Overall, the Huskies are off to their best start since transitioning back to the NCAA Division I level prior to the 2007-08 season.
The victory also signifies HBU's first over the Bearkats (11-11, 6-3 SLC) since joining the Southland Conference, as the team improved to 8-0 in league play. The Huskies sit in a two-way tie atop the conference standings with Stephen F. Austin's win as Texas A&M – Corpus Christi (66-61) in a game of unbeatens earlier in the evening.
Junior
Colter Lasher turned in solid efforts on both sides of the court against SHSU, registering his first double-double of the season and second of his career with 14 points and 10 rebounds. The native of Anchorage, Alaska, finished 5-for-10 from the floor, tying his season-high with three splashes from deep. Lasher pulled down nine of his 10 boards on the defensive end.
Junior
Reveal Chukwujekwu joined Lasher with 14 points, scoring 11 in the second half. Odunsi finished with 12 points, his biggest coming on the last point of the game, to go along with four assists. Junior
Alex Fountain rounded out the double figure scoring with 11 points.
Lasher started quickly, hitting three of his first four shots from the field, including two threes, as HBU led 13-7 at the 15:38 mark. Following a Bearkat free throw out of the media timeout, Chukwujekwu sparked an 8-0 surge over the next three minutes to give the Huskies their largest lead of the game at 21-8.
Over the final 10-plus minutes of the opening half, SHSU slowly chipped away at the lead and pulled within two points at 33-31 with 2:37 left until the break. After Odunsi and Fountain made free throws give the Huskies back a four-point advantage, Bearkat Dakarai Henderson, who scored a game-high 16 points, hit two of this own to close the half.
SHSU started quickly in the second half, opening on a 10-2 run to take a 43-37 lead. However, HBU battled back and to tie the game went to-to-toe with the Bearkats down the stretch before Odunsi's free throw sealed the victory.
The Huskies, having closed the month of December with a 9-0 record, will be back in action on Tuesday, Feb. 2, visiting Abilene Christian in a 7 p.m. tip.
Postgame Quotes – Head Coach Ron Cottrell
Opening comments…"Tonight showed what Sharp Gym is all about. I can't say enough about our fans and the way they were in the game tonight from the very beginning. We don't win that game without the crowd. They made the difference." On the game…"It wasn't a pretty game, but that's the way it goes sometimes in conference play. Sam Houston State is a tough team and I have a lot of respect for what (head coach Jason Hooten) has done there. Defensively, they are as tough as a team you're going to face. They got down and really guarded, but our guys were able to fight through it and hit shots when they needed to." On upcoming game at Abilene Christian…"Abilene Christian will be another tough challenge for us. They shoot the ball really, really well, especially on their home court. We have to be ready, because you never know what guy on our team will need to be the one to step up on a specific play."
