HOUSTON – HCU took an early lead and never looked back as the Huskies took a 79-49 victory over visiting St. Thomas on Tuesday evening in Sharp Gym in the team's home opener.
The teams traded points in the early-going with St. Thomas (0-1) holding a 6-4 lead just over three minutes into the game. HCU (1-2) forward
Amy Cotton scored the next four points with
Jo Oly also adding two for a six-point run by the Huskies for a 10-6 advantage. HCU pushed its lead as the first quarter wore on, leading 19-12 heading into the second.
Oly opened the quarter with a layup followed by a pair of
N'Denasija Collins free throws and the Huskies opened up their first double-digit lead of the evening, 23-12. The Celts pulled back to within six once, and seven four times, before the Huskies closed the half with a 6-2 run capped by a Cotton layup with 34 seconds left on the clock and HCU lead 36-25 at the intermission.
UST scored a three for the first points of the third quarter, making it a 36-28 ballgame, before the Huskies went on an 18-4 run, effectively putting the game away and leading 54-32 at the 3:46 mark. HCU extended its lead as high as 39, 77-38, near the mid-point of the fourth quarter.
Freshman
Tove Caesar led the Huskies with 12 point on 5-of-7 shooting while senior
Kennedy Wilson added 11 points, six assists and five rebounds in just 20 minutes on the floor. N'Densija Collins and
Jo Oly each scored 10 with Oly pulling down six boards.
Elizabeth Matadi set a new career-high on the boards, pulling down eight rebounds with five of those coming on the offensive end.
The Huskies shot 39.5 percent (30-of-76) from the field and connected on 77.8 percent (14-of-18) from the free throw line. UST, meanwhile, shot 28.1 percent (16-of-57) for the game. HCU held a sizeable 58-38 advantage on the boards and forced 21 turnovers while registering 19 miscues.
The Huskies turn around in a hurry with a trip to Blacksburg, Va. and a matchup with No. 9 Virginia Tech on Thursday, Nov. 16, at 5:00 p.m. CT.
