HOUSTON – HCU men's basketball had five players score at least 13 points, led by
Bonke Maring's 24, en route to a 101-96 overtime win over visiting New Orleans to open Southland Conference play in Sharp Gym on Friday night.
The two teams traded scores in the first two minutes before a six-point run by the Privateers (3-9, 0-1 SLC) put UNO ahead 12-6 a little over four minutes in. That lead grew as high as 10 after back-to-back three-pointers by Jordan Johnson and Khaleb Wilson-Rouse made it an 18-8 game. The Huskies (4-10, 1-0 SLC) responded with a 13-2 run of their own capped by three consecutive triples by
Maks Klanjscek and
Sam Hofman for a 21-20 lead at the 10:10 mark.
HCU's largest lead of the half came with 5:26 to go in the period when a Hofman layup brought the score to 33-28. The Huskies maintained a lead for much of the rest of the half but UNO closed the half on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a Johnson buzzer-beating three from well behind the arc. The Privateers held a 43-39 advantage at the break.
Wilson-Rouse opened the second half with a three to push the UNO lead to seven. HCU again trailed by seven, 50-43, with 16:19 on the clock before working their way back to a one-point lead, 51-50, after a made
Andrew King free throw. Tyson Jackson dropped in a layup at the 12:46 mark to give UNO a 57-55 lead before the Huskies used an 11-2 burst over the course of two and a half minutes for a 66-59 advantage.
The HCU lead grew to eight, 78-70, with just 4:38 left but the Privateers kept coming, getting back to within four before a
Brycen Long three with 3:15 left in regulation put HCU back ahead by seven, 82-75. HCU went cold over the final 2:24, making just 1-of-5 down the stretch while UNO closed the gap. Down three, Johnson tied things up for UNO at 82-82 with just 54 seconds left followed by a mid-range jumper by
Bonke Maring with 0:33 to go. Simeon Kirkland came up big for the Privateers with a second chance tip-in with just 11 seconds left. A long three attempt at the buzzer by Long was off the mark, setting the game up for overtime.
King started the overtime period with a layup to put HCU back ahead and then quickly drew an offensive foul on the other end. Long knocked down his third three of the night on the ensuing possession, bring the score to 89-84. HCU led by at least three and as many as eight the rest of the way with King and Long combining to go 6-of-6 from the foul line in the final minute.
Maring, after picking up two quick fouls and playing only 3:31 in the first half, finished an efficient 12-of-14 from the floor for 24 points and led the team with nine rebounds. The senior is now shooting 62.1 percent (95-of-153) for the season, leading all SLC players. Long added 19 points, finishing 4-of-9 from the floor, 3-of-6 from three and a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line. For the season, Long is shooting 91.3 percent (42-of-46) from the charity stripe.
King and Klanjscek each scored 16 with King matching a career-high with seven assists. Hofman added 13 off the bench and grabbed seven rebounds. The Huskies finished the game shooting 56.3 percent (36-of-64) from the field and 42.9 percent (9-of-21) from three. They also connected on 20-of-23 (87 percent) from the foul line.
New Orleans was led by a career-high night from Johnson who was an impressive 8-of-9 from beyond the arc and finished with 39 points. Kirkland had a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Privateers. UNO shot 76.5 percent (13-of-17) from long-range, besting the team's previous best three-point shooting night of 45 percent vs. IUPUI.
The Huskies make the trek to Louisiana next week for a pair of Southland games, first in Hammond, La. against Southeastern on Thursday, Jan. 5, before heading on to New Orleans, La. for a rematch with the Privateers on Saturday, Jan. 7.
