HCU vs. RICE
Houston Christian University continues its four-game homestand on Friday night when it welcomes cross-town rival Rice University to Sharp Gymnasium. The Huskies and Owls will be meeting for the 13th time since the 2011-12 season. The second game of the stay in Sharp is also the first of three for the Huskies in the next six days leading into Thanksgiving.
HCU is 2-2 on the season, sandwiching home wins over Avila and Rockford around losses to nationally-ranked opponents five days apart. The Huskies fell at then No. 19 Texas on November 8 then fell at No. 14 Creighton on November 13. The win over Rockford last Saturday began the current four-game stretch on Fondren Road which is also part of a six out of seven stretch in Sharp for the Huskies. HCU also has a four-game homestretch in conference play from January 11-20.
The win in the season opener gave new head coach
Craig Doty a victory in his HCU debut. He was hired as the ninth head coach in school history back in March as the program is now in its 59th season. Doty brings 12 years of head coaching experience to the HCU sidelines, having coached on the NJCAA, NAIA and NCAA Division II levels while capturing three national titles along the way. The Huskies have just four players returning from last year's club, as the Pierce and
Porter Bazil,
Nathan Self and
Marques Gates join a class of 11 transfers, the largest incoming class since the first season of transition back to Division 1 in 2007-08.
HCU snapped its two-game losing streak last Saturday to start the quartet of games at home, pulling away from Rockford University in the second half for an 84-64 victory. The Huskies led by three five minutes into the second half and by just five nearing the 11-minute mark, but held the visitors to just 14 points down that final stretch to coast to the win and kickstart the stretch in Sharp on a good foot.
The Huskies were paced three players in double-digits, two setting career-highs in the process.
Elijah Brooks had 21 on 6-9 from the floor and 9-10 from the charity stripe to lead all players on the evening while also chipping in six rebounds and three assists.
Bryson Dawkins matched his career-best in scoring that he set in the opener against Avila, recording 18 points to go with five boards, while
Peyton Rogers knocked down a career-best three triples and came one point short of his career-high with 13 points.
Demari Williams contributed nine points while
Julian Mackey had eight points, three caroms and a career-best six dimes.
Dawkins continues to lead the Huskies in scoring, hitting at 12.8 points per game. Mackey is the only other player in double-digits for HCU at 10.5 ppg and he leads the squad with 2.5 assists. Brooks comes in at 7.5 points, 4.3 rebounds and two assists per game.
Rogers scores 6.3 points and leads the team from the arc, shooting 50% from distance.
Trent Johnson adds 5.8 while also leading the Huskies in rebounding at an even nickel per night. The Canadian also averages 2.0 assists and 1.5 steals.
HCU is a +1.3 on the backboards thus far, and
Porter Bazil ranks sixth in the Southland in offensive caroms per game at 2.75. The Huskies are just a -4.8 in scoring margin and are averaging nine steals per game, led by
Ivan Reynolds who is tied for 11th in the Southland at 1.75 per. HCU is one of just three SLC teams in the early going shooting over 70% from the charity stripe.
HCU and Rice have met 17 times overall with the Owls holding a 14-3 lead in the series. The two teams have met 12 times since the 2011-12 season with half of those games decided by eight points or less.
The Owls rallied for a 65-56 victory at Tudor Fieldhouse last season, closing the first half with a 10-2 run that cut a 10-point lead to two at the break, then using a 16-5 burst out of the second-half gates to take control. Only four players who saw action in that game return one season later: the Bazil brothers for HCU and Rice's Andrew Akuchie and Alem Huseinovic.
Rice comes into the contest sitting at 4-1 overall after Tuesday's night's 83-61 victory at Louisiana, with the only blemish thus far a 73-65 defeat to Florida State in a game played at the Toyota Center. The Owls have just six players returning to go with nine transfers and one high school addition this season.
A quartet of double-digit scorers paces the offense. That group is led by Trae Broadnax, a 6'4 grad transfer guard from USC-Upstate who is averaging 12.8 points per game, 5.6 rebounds and 4.4 assists. 6'10 junior post Caden Powell, a transfer from Wyoming, averages 10.8 points and a team-best 7.2 rebounds an outing. Graduate 6'4 forward Huseinovic, now in his third year with the Owls, adds 10.8 points per game while 6'7 grad transfer forward Kellen Amos from Central Connecticut State adds 10.6 and 3.8 rebounds.
Rob Lanier is in his first season on Main Street after head coaching stints at Sienna, Georgia State and SMU as well as being a long-time assistant for Rick Barnes both at Texas and Tennessee.
HCU is 5-8 in games played on November 22. The last time the Huskies played on this date was 2019 in a loss at the University of Michigan.
The Huskies will return to action next Monday and Wednesday to close out the homestand by hosting Eastern Michigan University and Northern Arizona University. After a game at UTSA on November 30, HCU will return to Sharp for another pair games of games in the friendly confines against East Texas A&M and Northwestern State. Those two games open the conference season in earnest and complete the six in seven span at home.
#DawgsUp
