HOUSTON – Sophomore
Lauren Calver posts second consecutive double-double and sophomore guard
Shannon Jones shoots for career-high Wednesday night, as HBU women's basketball defeats Northwestern State, 57-51
Jones led the scoring with 19 points, six boards, four steals and two assists. Calver recorded her second consecutive double-double, draining 10 points, pulling down 11 boards, handed out four assists, had five blocks and three steals. Junior guard
Amanda Johnson contributed 10 points, while freshman guard
Megan Valdez-Crader added six points and six rebounds.
Libba Gilliam led Northwestern State (7-18, 2-12 SLC) with a double-double, posting 18 points and 10 boards. Leah Barnes contributed with 9 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while Nautica Grant and Jada Freeman put up six points each.
HBU shot 36.7 percent from the field, shot 1-of-8 from the 3-point range and 12-of-18 from the free-throw line. Northwestern State shot 24.1 percent from the floor, shot 4-of-19 from behind the arc and 12-of-18 from the behind the line.
The Lady Demons led at the start of the fourth quarter, 37-38 and a bucket by Libba Gilliam gave the Lady Demons a lead by three. Calver scored a layup to initiate an eight-point run, including buckets by Jones, sophomore guard
Britta Daub and sophomore guard
Sydney Carr. The next three points came by shots from the line by Northwestern State, before Jones drained a bucket in the paint, giving the Huskies a four-point lead. The Huskies led for as many as seven points with 1:07 left to go in the game. The Lady Demons scored the next three points at the line, but it wasn't enough to spark a comeback.
Kirienko, Johnson and junior center Kenney Collins combined for the first few points of the first quarter, but trailed 9-7. Johnson hit a shot from the paint to even the score, but Northwestern State quickly got back on top, after two shots from the free-throw line. Jones followed with a bucket from the 3-point range, making the score even at 12 at the end of the first.
The Huskies opened the third quarter with a six-point run highlighted by back-to-back buckets by Jones. After two made free-throws by Nautica Grant, a jumper by Johnson, followed by a 3-point play by Valdez-Crader gave HBU a game-high nine-point lead. Libba Gilliam and Nautica Grant responded with back-to-back 3-pointers, making it a four-point game. The Lady Demons ended the half, scoring the last four of six points to only trail by two.
The first eight points of the third quarter were a back-and-forth affair, as neither team led for more than one point, until Northwestern state drained a shot in the paint to lead, 33-30. The Huskie didn't let them escape too far only allowing a one-point lead going into the fourth.
The Huskies remain at home to host Sam Houston State Saturday, Feb. 17 at 2 p.m. They will then embark on their final round trip of the regular season, taking on Lamar Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. and McNeese Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1 p.m.
