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KATY, Texas – HBU made a late push but it wasn't enough to overtake Sam Houston State as the Huskies fell, 63-59, in the quarterfinals of the Southland Conference Tournament at the Merrell Center on Thursday evening.
 
After Josh Ibarra got the Huskies on the board and tied the game at 2-2 less than a minute and a half into the game, HBU went on a four minute and 28 second scoreless streak that allowed the Bearkats to get out to a 9-2 lead. HBU pulled within five after an Atif Russell jumper and a Colter Lasher layup made it 12-7 but a Sam Houston State answered with a pair of baskets and took a 16-7 lead at the second media stoppage of the game.
 
SHSU got out to an 11-point lead, 18-7, but the Huskies fought back to within three after a Reveal Chukwujekwu layup made it a 20-17 ballgame with 4:54 left in the half. The Bearkat lead got back up to seven after Dakarai Henderson knocked down a three at the 2:23 mark but Josh Ibarra scored the final five points of the half including a layup just before the buzzer to pull HBU within two, 28-26, at the half.
 
In the second half, John Dewey III hit the first shot to put SHSU up four but a Chukwujekwu jumper followed by a Braxton Bonds layup tied the game at 30-30 at the 17:41 mark. The Bearkats then went on a 12-0 run, thanks in large part to nine points from Henderson, for a 42-30 lead with 14:12 on the clock.
 
Lasher nailed a three with 11:06 to go to bring the score to 46-40 but Sam Houston State answered and again pushed its' lead to double-digits, 51-40, with 7:54 left. The Huskies cut their deficit to seven before Chukwujekwu picked up a loose ball in the paint and hit a jumper to bring HBU within five. On the next Husky possession, Atif Russell drew a foul in the lane to get to the line where he made 1-of-2 for a 53-49 game with just 3:45 remaining.
 
A pair of  Torry Butler free throws pushed it to a six-point game but Lasher again cut it to four on a jumper before HBU forced a turnover on a SHSU shot clock violation. On the ensuing possession, Asa Cantwell drilled a three to make it a 55-54 game with 2:29 to go. The Huskies didn't get any closer, missing shots while the Bearkats hit their free throws the rest of the way, getting ahead by as many as five. Cantwell hit another three from the corner with just four seconds left but Dewey hit both his shots from the charity stripe with three seconds left to seal the Bearkat win.
 
Ibarra finished with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting and led the Huskies with nine rebounds. Chukwujekwu added 14 points and six boards, connecting on 5-of-7 from the field. Bonds had eight points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals.
 
Chris Galbreath Jr. was the top scorer for Sam Houston State, putting up 15 points while Dewey added 14 and Henderson scored 12.
 
The Bearkats held a 37-36 advantage on the glass and forced the Huskies into 11 turnovers while committing just nine. HBU shot 39.3 percent (22-of-56) from the floor while SHSU was 38.3 percent (23-of-60). Neither team shot well from deep with both posting three-point shooting percentages below 30 percent.
 
With a 17-13 record, HBU will be awaiting a potential invite to a postseason tournament.