Highlights |
Postgame Press Conference |
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Buy Photos HereKATY, Texas – The fourth-seeded HBU men's basketball team won their debut in the Southland Conference Tournament, defeating fifth-seeded Southeastern Louisiana, 73-68, in the quarterfinals on Thursday night inside Merrell Center.
Senior
Anthony Odunsi poured in a team-high 20 points for the Huskies (17-15), his 13th performance of 20 points or more on the season. The native of Sugar Land, Texas, finished 4-for-10 from the floor and a perfect 12-for-12 at the free throw line to go along with nine rebounds. Odunsi's flawless free throw shooting against the Lions (12-21) marks the eighth-ever in program history and third for both Odunsi and HBU this season.
Freshman
Asa Cantwell caught fire for a career-high 15 points with five splashes from beyond the arc, while junior
Colter Lasher chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds. Freshman
Isaiah Robinson also turned in career marks, leading all with 12 rebounds and six blocks.
The Huskies shot 37.7 percent (23-61) from the field, 34.4 percent (11-32) from the 3-point line and 80.0 percent (16-20) at the line. HBU outscored SELA 30-18 off the bench, 14-9 off turnovers and 12-9 in the fast break.
Both teams traded baskets to open up play. Trailing 6-5 after the opening six-plus minutes, the Huskies rode an 11-2 run to double up the Lions, 16-8 at the eight-minute mark. HBU's lead never faltered the remainder of the half, as Cantwell closed the period with three-straight 3-pointers to enter the lockerroom up 33-20.
SELA responded out of the break, taking a 37-34 advantage behind a 17-1 run. From there, the two teams traded the lead 10 times, until two free throws from Odunsi gave the Huskies back the edge, 52-51. Odunsi's hits at the charity stripe opened a 8-0 surge, as HBU never trailed and led by as much as eight points down the stretch to secure the 73-68 victory.
The Huskies will face top-seeded Stephen F. Austin in a 5 p.m. tip on Friday, broadcast on
ESPN3.
Postgame Quotes – Head Coach Ron Cottrell
Opening comments…"First of all, I thought our first-half defense, with a couple exceptions, was as good as we've played in quite some time. I thought our guys came out and defended really well and kept Southeastern off balanced, holding them to 29 percent from the floor in the first half. I was really pleased with what we were able to do defensively. Their zone gave us some trouble offensively early. Once we started moving the ball I thought we got a lot better looks and got the ball inside. "Very pleased with the outcome of the game, obviously. The second half, we didn't quite close it out like we wanted to, but Southeastern Louisiana is a tough team. They gave us a tough run, but our guys stepped up to the challenge and made some plays down the stretch." On the play of Isaiah Robinson…"Robinson has really stepped up as we've gone along. He's so long and has such court awareness of how to go get blocks and rebounds. For a freshman to come into his first postseason action and have 12 rebounds and six blocked shots is certainly something special. He's gaining confidence offensively as we go along. Our guys know that we can give him the ball and he's going to make smart plays. He's able to pass it out and some of these guys like that, because he'll give them the opportunity to shoot the ball." On facing Stephen F. Austin in the semifinals…"Our biggest thing to work on is to get these guys back to hotel and off their feet. We've played them twice and know what to expect." Senior Guard Anthony Odunsi
On rebounding…"Coach has been preaching for us to get rebounds since the beginning of the season with even more of an emphasis for the tournament. It's something that we really had to do to win." Freshman Guard Asa Cantwell
On stretching the Lions' defense…"It was very important. I knew once I started making shots outside, I could feed the ball in and create opportunities for other guys.
