HUNTSVILLE, Texas —- HCU rallied from a double-digit deficit at the break and put on a strong rally down the stretch, but ultimately dropped a heartbreaker, falling 67-65 to former Southland foe Sam Houston on Saturday afternoon at Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.
An early three-pointer and layup by
Amy Cotton sandwiched a bucket by
Hannah Fields, giving the Huskies a 9-8 lead midway through the first period. Sam would then go on an 11-2 burst before Fields scored just before the end of the quarter to cut the lead to six, 19-13.
HCU would cut the lead to five on a
Jo Oly layup and then again later on a bucket by
Lyric Barr with 6:02 to go in the second quarter. The Huskies then went cold, and Sam ended the second period as it did the first, using a 14-5 run to take a 14-point lead into the intermission, 40-26.
The Huskies weren't able to buy a bucket in the first half, shooting just 35% and turning the ball over 13 times. SHSU didn't fare much better from the field, hitting just 38% of its attempts, but got up 11 more attempts due to 13 turnovers by HCU.
In the second frame, business picked up on the offensive end for HCU, as they slowly began to chip away at the deficit. A coast-to-coast layup and then a three-ball from
Enya Maguire trimmed the lead to 10 and forced a Sam timeout.
Amy Cotton got a nice roll on a pick-and-roll and
N'Denasija Collins hit two free throws to get the margin under 10, 47-39 at the third quarter media.
Out of the break it was Collins again, hitting a layup to trim the lead to seven, 48-41. Maguire would hit yet another three on the fast break on a drop-off from
Kennedy Wilson, and Wilson's floater at the end of the third pulled HCU to within eight and finished off a 24-point third quarter outburst.
In the fourth,
Enya Maguire caught fire. A three at the 8:08 mark was followed by a short jumper a moment later, and then at the 6:27 mark, Enya took a pass from sister
Erin Maguire to knock down yet another three-ball to cut the Bearkats lead to two, 61-59.
The Huskies would hold the hosts to no field goals and just four points over the final five minutes and back-to-back buckets from Fields cut the lead to two yet again, 67-65 with 1:30 to play.
HCU had a chance to tie or take the lead, but a steal from Kassidy Dixon gave the Bearkats the ball back with 38 seconds to go. The Huskies elected to play it out and got the stop they needed, taking possession with 8.2 seconds to go. They were unable to get off a final shot however, as Sam Houston held on for the win.
A solid defensive effort in the second half aided the comeback, as the Huskies held the Bearkats to just 20% shooting on 7-35 from the floor after intermission. HCU ended the afternoon holding Sam to 30% shooting overall and 21% from the arc.
HCU conversely shot 42 percent overall and 40% from three. HCU also held a 53-43 edge on the backboards, but committed 28 turnovers on the day.
Enya Maguire hit a trio of career-bests on the afternoon. She led all players with 23 points with five three-pointers, both career-highs. She finished 9-18 from the floor, and also set a new personal high with 11 rebounds, tying for game-high honors with Cotton, who also had 11 caroms.
Fields chipped in 11 points and six rebounds while Collins had nine points and eight rebounds. Wilson dished out six assists with her seven points.
Sam Houston (1-0) had three players in double-digits, led by Sydnee Kemp with 14. Raanee Smith notched a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive glass. Diana Rosenthal chipped in 12 points for the Bearkats.
The Huskies are now 0-2 on the young season, and will return to action on Tuesday hosting cross-town foe St. Thomas in the home opener at Sharp Gym.
#DawgsUp
