HOUSTON – A nine-point run midway through the first half by visiting UT Rio Grande Valley put the HCU men's basketball team in a double-digit hole it couldn't fight its way out of the rest of the night as the Huskies fell, 95-82, on Saturday night in Sharp Gym. Houston Christian University (HCU), formerly Houston Baptist University (HBU), underwent a name change in September 2022.
After an early 6-6 tie the Vaqueros (6-4) scored the next six points and with 12:20 on the clock, pushed their lead to 10, 20-10. HCU (3-8) scored the next five points thanks to a
Brycen Long three and a dunk from
Bonke Maring but consecutive triples by UTRGV put the Huskies down 26-15.
Jason Thompson made one-of-two at the foul line at the 9:00 mark to get HCU back to a single-digit deficit, 26-17, but UTRGV scored the next nine and led by as many as 23 before heading into the half with a 53-36 lead.
In the second half, the Vaqueros pushed their lead as high as 24 less than three minutes in. A few minutes later, after a Will Johnston three made it a 68-48 game,
Brycen Long answered with a layup and the and-on, followed by a Long three-pointer on the Huskies' next possession.
Andrew King then scored the next six for the Huskies and pulled HCU within 13, 73-60, with 11 minutes to play. From there, UTRGV held off every attempt by the Huskies to get closer with HCU getting to within 14 five more times down the stretch but not closer until Long knocked down another trey on the Huskies' final possession of the game.
Long led HCU with 26 points, connecting on 8-of-15 from the floor, 6-of-11 from three and 4-of-5 from the foul line. He missed his first free throw of the season and is now shooting 96.2 percent (25-of-26) from the charity stripe. Maring added 18 points and six rebounds while registering a career-high three blocked shots. King finished with 14 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals.
Johnston led all players with 28 for the Vaqueros while Justin Johnson had 22. UTRGV shot 55.2 percent (32-of-58) from the floor and 47.4 percent (9-of19) from behind the arc. HCU, meanwhile, finished 44.6 percent (29-of-65) from the field and 34.8 percent (8-of-23) from long range. The Vaqueros held a 44-28 advantage on the boards while the Huskies won the turnover battle, forcing 21 miscues and committing 15.
HCU will again face UTRGV the next time the Huskies take the floor, heading south to South Padre Island, Texas after finals on Sunday, Dec. 18, at 6:00 p.m. at the South Padre Island Convention Center.
