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HOUSTON – HBU took a two-point lead into the half and led with less than 10 minutes to go but Sam Houston State out-scored the home team 23-16 over the final 9:30 to defeat the Huskies 71-65 in Southland Conference men's basketball action on Saturday evening inside Sharp Gym.
The game was a back-and-forth affair for the first 10 minutes with neither team leading by more than three. Sam Houston State (10-8, 5-0 SLC) went ahead by five after a pair of Marcus Harris free throws with 9:16 left in the first period and pushed its lead as high as six in the half. After an Albert Almanza jumper put the Bearkats ahead 27-22 the Huskies (5-11, 1-4 SLC) responded with a 9-0 run to lead by four after two made
Oliver Lynch-Daniels free throws at the 2:40 mark.
Ty Dalton made a second-chance layup with nine seconds on the clock to send HBU into the half with a 35-33 lead.
SHSU came out in the second half and a Kai Mitchell layup put them ahead by four less than four minutes in.
Jackson Stent evened things up at 42-42 at the 13:33 mark and less than four minutes later a Qon Muphy three gave HBU a 49-46 lead. The Bearkats answered with a seven-point run to take a four-point lead with a little less than nine minutes to go. The SHSU lead reached as high as nine with 1:29 to play and HBU was able to claw back to within four but got no closer.
Ian DuBose led the Huskies with 15 points and 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the year while also dishing out five assists. Lynch-Daniels added 13 for the Huskies while
Braxton Bonds ended the night with 10 points, seven rebounds and four steals. Murphy, a freshman, matched his career-high with nine points off the bench while Stent scored eight as a reserve.
SHSU's Mitchell led all players with 18 points while the Bearkats' starters accounted for 61 of their 71 points. The Huskies held a 49-to-32 advantage on the boards but committed 22 turnovers to the Bearkats' 14. HBU shot 36.1 percent (22-of-61) from the field while Sam Houston State shot at a 42.1 percent (24-of-57) clip.
HBU will remain at home for a Wednesday, Jan. 23, matchup against Southeastern Louisiana at 7:00 p.m. in Sharp Gym.
