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Buy Photos HereHOUSTON – The Southland Conference's first and second place teams went toe-to-toe all game, but the HBU men's basketball team was unable to overcome a 2-for-14 start from the field in a 72-66 loss to Stephen F. Austin on Saturday night inside Sharp Gym.
The loss is the first of the season for the Huskies (14-9, 8-2 SLC) at home, ending a streak of 10 straight victories, while SFA (16-5, 9-0 SLC) improves to 9-0 in SLC play behind a career-high 35 points from senior Thomas Walkup.
Senior
Anthony Odunsi poured in a team-high 22 points, shooting 7-for-15 from the field with a made 3-pointer. The native of Sugar Land, Texas, also finished 6-for-6 at the free throw line.
Juniors
Reveal Chukwujekwu and
Colter Lasher just missed double figures against the Lumberjacks, recording nine and eight points, respectfully. Senior
Caleb Crayton highlighted the bench play for the Huskies, posting seven points and six rebounds.
HBU shot 49.0 percent (25-51) from the field, 25.0 percent (2-8) from beyond the arc and 73.7 percent (14-19) at the charity stripe. Both teams scored 32 points in the paint, while SFA outscored the Huskies 21-4 in second chance opportunities and held a 15-13 edge off turnovers.
The 'Jacks capitalized on HBU's slow start, taking a 17-4 lead across the opening eight minutes. However, junior
Cody Stetler sparked a swing in momentum in front of the standing-room only crowd of 1,082 with consecutive layups on the Huskies' next two possessions, as the team began to cut into the lead. From down 13 points, HBU went on a 16-2 run over the next 5:32 to cut the deficit to one point, 19-18. Play remained closed the remainder of the half and the Huskies pulled within one point two more times over the final 6-plus minutes, as SFA took a 30-28 lead into the break.
HBU continued to threaten in the second half, pulling within one point on three occasions. Down 67-66 with 23 seconds remaining, a technical foul against the Huskies sent 'Jack Ty Charles, who finished with five points, to the line. Charles connected on both free throws to push SFA ahead by three, forcing HBU to foul on opposition's next possession. Walkup then turned in a 2-for-2 showing at the stripe, before Charles added another hit with one second on the clock to escape with a 72-66 decision.
The Huskies will rest fast and look to bounce back on Monday, visiting Texas A&M – Corpus Christi in a 8 p.m. tip on American Sports Network.
Postgame Quotes – Head Coach Ron Cottrell
Opening comments…"We were right there. I was very pleased with the way the guys fought back and really came after SFA tonight. They didn't back down. Our guys wanted to prove to themselves that they were there to win the ballgame. They did that. "I was really pleased with their fight. We just couldn't get over the hump, unfortunately. We kept getting stops, but just couldn't always convert on the other end when we needed to. We'd get it to one point, but then couldn't get that basket to take the lead. It was a hard fought game with a great atmosphere in Sharp Gym." On battling back…"Our guys are seasoned. We have juniors and seniors on this team that've been down that road before. They knew they were going to have to chip away to get back in it. I didn't have any concern we wouldn't fight back at any point." On effort and short turnaround…"I'm thrilled with our effort. I'm thrilled this game meant as much as it did to our campus and community, and to our team. The loss hurts, but it means something to us to have that feeling after a game at this point in the season. We are playing for something every time out. "Now we have to get ready for our game on Monday. We will get back right back to work tomorrow and try to go get a win over Texas A&M – Corpus Christi at their place."
