DENVER, Co – The HCU women's basketball team went a perfect 2-0 in the University of Denver Classic when they beat the Yale Bulldogs Saturday afternoon behind a monster second half from
Kennedy Wilson in Magness Arena. Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), underwent a name change in September 2022.
Julija Vujakovic and company started out hot from the floor early in this one. The Huskies (3-2) jumped out to an early 9-3 lead to start the game. Vujakovic knocked down her first jump shot of the game. The next trip down the floor,
Abbey Sutherland knocked down a turnaround jump shot before Collins rattled off five consecutive points for HCU.
Yale (4-3) answered and closed the quarter on an 11-5 run to cut the Husky lead to just one, 14-13, heading to the second quarter. HCU played stellar defense in the second quarter, holding Yale to 26.7 percent shooting (4-for-15) from the field and zero percent (0-for-4) from three-point range. The Huskies scored 14 in the quarter, almost half coming from the charity stripe. They took a 28-25 lead into the break.
HCU's offense clicked in the third quarter, knocking down 60 percent of their shots leading to 21 points. Wilson led the Huskies in the third, scoring seven of her team high 20 points in the game. The Bulldogs outscored the Huskies in the fourth, but key late game stops by the HCU defense and clutch late game free throws from Wilson iced the game for the Huskies.
Wilson led four Huskies in double figures with 20 points. Collins, Vujakovic, and Sutherland combined for 30. Collins and
Marilyn Nzoiwu each finished with nine boards while Sutherland and Wilson led HCU with three assists each.
After concluding their four-game road trip, the Huskies finally return home to Sharp Gym to face UTRGV this Thursday at 5pm.
All-Tournament Team
N'Denasija Collins and
Abbey Sutherland were named to the 2022 Denver Classic All-Tournament Team. Collins averaged 15 points in two games and shot over 50 percent from the field. Sutherland scored 15 points across two games and led the Husky defense to two close victories over Denver and Yale.
