Northwestern State Demons (14-8, 6-3 SLC) at HCU Huskies (7-15, 4-5 SLC)
Thursday, Feb. 2 – 7 p.m.
Sharp Gym - Houston, Texas
TV (ESPN+/Garret Jones/Van Chancellor)
Live Stats
Game Notes
HOUSTON – At the halfway point of the Southland Conference schedule, the HCU men's basketball team stands tied for sixth in the league standings and opens the second half of the schedule at home in Sharp Gym this Thursday against the Northwestern State Demons at 7:00 p.m.
The Huskies (7-15, 4-5 SLC) and Demons (14-8, 6-3 SLC) played a week ago in Natchitoches, La. on Thursday, Jan. 26, with NSU winning 82-63 behind the red-hot Ja'Monta Black who scored 31 points with nine made threes. Senior post
Bonke Maring led the Huskies with 21 points in the loss.
Most recently, HCU dropped a heartbreaker at the buzzer on the road against Texas A&M-Commerce, falling 77-76.
Brycen Long led all players with 24 points in that game and the Huskies held an advantage in shooting percentage and rebounding, 41-28, but the Lions used a huge second half to eke out the win.
As a team, the Huskies check in at 40
th in the nation in made free throws per game, averaging 15.3 per outing. HCU is averaging 77.9 points per game, giving the Huskies the 47
th-best scoring offense nationally. Long, currently sporting the 22
nd-best three-point percentage in the country at 42.2 percent (65-of-154), is now at 152 made threes for his career. That puts him sixth on the Huskies' all-time list and just six away from tying for a spot in the top-five.
Northwestern State comes into Thursday's game on a four-game winning streak, most recently defeating Lamar, 80-65. Black and DeMarcus Sharp form the Demons' primary one-two punch offensively, averaging 16.5 and 16.3 ppg, respectively. Black is one of the most prolific three-point shooters in the nation, ranking third in both made threes and three per game.
Thursday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ with Garrett Jones providing play-by-play and Van Chancellor providing color commentary.
The Huskies will host Nicholls on Saturday, Feb. 4, for the first meeting of the season between the Huskies and Colonels at 7:00 p.m. with HCU wearing its Hustlin' Husky throwback uniforms.
