HOUSTON --- Marcus Greene hit two three-pointers in the final 36 seconds of the game, the second coming with a tick on the clock to lift Houston Christian University to a wild 78-77 victory over Lamar University on Saturday afternoon. The back-and-forth game saw 20 lead changes and 10 ties, with the heroics by Greene sending a boisterous Sharp Gym crowd into hysteria and giving the Huskies a victory in The Darius Lee Memorial Classic presented by Play Smart, Save Lives.
 
The two teams would trade baskets for the first six minutes until a Dominic Capriotti three-pointer gave HCU a 14-9 lead with 13:34 to play. The Cardinals came right back, retaking the lead on a Janko Buljic layup in the paint. Capriotti would hit another trey to give the Huskies a 20-18 lead that was short-lived, as Cody Pennebaker scored six straight for the visitors to grab a 26-23 edge with 7:22 left in the first half.
 
Neither club could gain any separation, and a jumper by Jay Alvarez gave HCU the lead 33-32. Marcus Greene followed with a short jumper before Pennebaker scored again to pull Lamar to within one at the half, 35-34.  The second frame would proceed much like the first with the two teams fighting to a 53-all deadlock by the midway point. The Cardinals would then jump in front by four, 59-55 on a layup by Chris Pryor at the 9:47 mark. The Huskies wouldn't go away though, and two straight baskets by Bonke Maring, the second a conventional three-point play, pushed HCU ahead 60-59. The boys from Beaumont would take three-point leads on two occasions immediately following. A steal and layup by Pryor pushed LU ahead 65-62, and two possessions later an Errol White jumper gave the Birds a 67-64 lead. Capriotti would follow that with his fifth triple of the game, knotting things up once more at 67. Again it was Pryor who would push Lamar ahead. He would get to the paint for two straight layups, the second of which gave the Cardinals a 74-72 lead, but Marcus Greene would answer back by nailing a three-pointer with 36 seconds left to give HCU the one-point advantage. Pennebaker would then drill a three from just in front of the Lamar bench on a dish from Terry Anderson. That bucket gave the Cardinals their final lead of the game as the Huskies hustled the ball to half court and called timeout.

On the ensuing possession, Jay Alvarez drove the lane and his errant layup was rebounded by Michael Imariagbe, who was then tied up by the Lamar defense for a jump ball. The arrow pointed the Huskies way, giving the hosts one last chance.
 
That would set up Greene to be the hero on this afternoon. The inbounds came in to Greene, who tossed to Imariagbe at the top of the key and immediately handed the ball right back off. Greene took the drop off, dribbled to his left and side-stepped away from two defenders to launch a rainbow that drew nothing but nylon and put the Huskies up one with 1.9 seconds remaining. Lamar's final heave missed the mark, and HCU had pulled out the thrilling roller-coaster conference victory.
HCU had one of it's better overall offensive days of the season, hitting 49% from the floor, 42% from the arc and 71% from the line. The battle of two of the best rebounding teams in the Southland went to the home team 42-33, and the Huskies were able to overcome an 18-9 disparity in turnovers which led to a 25-11 points advantage for the Cardinals.
 
Four players scored in double-figures for the Huskies, led by Greene's 22. He saved his only two makes from the arc for the most opportune time, as he finished 2-4 from distance as part of a 9-14 day from the floor. He also chipped in four rebounds and four assists.
 
Capriotti recorded 15 points while breaking his personal best with five triples. Jay Alvarez had 14 points and Michael Imariagbe completed the quartet by posting his sixth double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Bonke Maring had nine points, nine caroms and three helpers.
 
Lamar (9-9, 3-2) shot 46.5% overall but went just 4-16 from long range. Pryor ended with 18 points, three assists and four steals to lead the Redbirds, while Pennebaker finished with 15 points. Adam Hamilton had nine points and eight rebounds.
 
The Huskies improve to 4-12 overall and 2-3 in the Southland. Four of HCU's first five league games have been decided by five points or less. The two-game homestand concludes on Monday evening, when the Privateers of New Orleans invade Sharp Gym. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm.




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