Follow @HBUBasketball

Photo Gallery  |  Buy Photos Here

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – The HBU men's basketball team was unable to maintain pace with Sam Houston State in the second half, falling 80-68 on Saturday afternoon inside Johnson Coliseum.
 
Senior Anthony Odunsi led the Huskies (14-11, 8-4 SLC) offensively, recording 16 points on 3-for-9 shooting and a perfect 10-for-10 showing at the free throw line. Odunsi's flawless free throw percentage is the first for HBU since Andrew Gonzalez went 15-for-15 against South Dakota on March 5, 2011, and just the sixth in program history to record.
 
Junior Colter Lasher joined Odunsi in netting double figures against the Bearkats (13-12, 8-4 SLC), registering 12 points. Lasher shot 6-for-8 from the field and 3-for-4 at the charity stripe to go along with three assists.
 
Junior Cody Stetler narrowly missed a double-double recording nine points and a career-high 10 rebounds with five coming on both sides of the ball. Junior Reveal Chukwujekwu finished with nine points.
 
HBU shot 42.3 percent (22-52) from the field, 25.0 percent (4-16) from beyond the arc and a 74.1 percent (20-27) at the line. SHSU outscored the Huskies 10-5 in second chance opportunities, 12-4 in the fast break and held a 13-12 edge off turnovers. Both teams score 30 points in the paint and 19 off the bench.
 
The Bearkats capitalized on HBU's a 0-for-4 start from the field in taking an 8-0 lead after three minutes of play. However, the Huskies outscored SHSU 15-9 over the next 5:35 to pull within a basket at 17-15.
 
After the Bearkats pushed the lead back to seven points, 26-19, at the 6:24 mark , Stetler ignited an 8-0 surge for HBU across a 2:22 span to give the team their first lead of the game, 27-26. Both teams swapped the lead three more times over the final four minutes, before SHSU took a 37-34 advantage into the lockerroom.
 
The Bearkats came out of halftime break strong, outscoring the Huskies 13-6 over the first five minutes of the period. After a pair of free throws from Odunsi cut it to eight points, 50-42, SHSU's Dakarai Henderson, who finished with 17 points, but the Bearkats back by 10. SHSU led by as much as 17 points over the final 13-plus minutes in claiming the 80-68 final.
 
The Huskies will next get set for three games inside Sharp Gym, opening their homestand with Lamar on Monday at 7 p.m.