HOUSTON – The HCU men's basketball team fell just short, 90-84, in a tightly-contested matchup that saw 10 lead changes against visiting Western Michigan on Friday night in Sharp Gym. Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), underwent a name change in September 2022.
Neither team led by more than eight points in the game with 10 lead changes and six tied scores. The Huskies (1-3) led for more than 23 minutes of game time but Western Michigan (2-2) managed to gain the lead with 6:31 left to play and was able to hold off HCU to the final buzzer.
HCU shot 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the floor and 40.9 percent (9-of-22) from three but the Broncos shot just a bit better. WMU finished 31-of-54 (57.4 percent) from the field and 8-of-18 (44.4 percent) from behind the arc. The Broncos also made 20-of-22 from the foul line while HCU made 13-of-20.
The game started slow with WMU taking an early 4-0 lead and the Huskies evening the score at 4-4 more than four minutes into the game. The teams then traded leads until the score reached 11-11 and the Huskies then went on a 6-0 burst with buckets on consecutive possessions from Maks Klanjscek, Pierce Bazil and
Zach Iyeyemi. The Huskies led the majority of the half from there with their lead getting up to eight on two occasions but WMU closed the half with an 8-0 run for a 41-39 lead at the break.
HCU's Bonke Maring came out hot to start the second half, scoring the team's first three baskets of the half with two of those coming from three-point range and giving the Huskies a 47-43 lead less than two minutes in. As the half wore on, HCU got its lead back as high as six and held its final lead at the 6:44 mark when a
Zach Iyeyemi layup made the score 74-73 in the Huskies' favor. Western Michigan scored the next five points to lead by four and had an answer every time HCU pulled within a field goal of tying.
Iyeyemi led the Huskies with a career-high 19 points on 8-of-11 shooting in just 17 minutes on the floor. The senior post also matched a career-best with three blocked shots and pulled down four rebounds. Bazil, a freshman, poured in 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting with a career-high five assists while Maring added 13 points and was 5-of-7 from the field.
WMU out-rebounded the Huskies 34-24 but HCU held the advantage in turnovers, forcing 18 while committing 12 miscues. Lamar Norman Jr. who totaled 36 points to lead all players while knocking down 12-of-12 from the foul line and 10-of-16 from the floor led the Broncos.
The Huskies are back on the floor tomorrow, Nov. 19, at 7:00 p.m. against former Trans America Athletic Conference foe Georgia Southern in Sharp Gym before heading across town to face the Rice Owls in the
Darius Lee Memorial Classic on Monday, Nov. 21, at Tudor Fieldhouse.
