HOUSTON --- Houston Christian University rallied from a 16-point deficit with eight minutes to play but fell just short of completing the comeback, falling to Eastern Michigan University 74-73 in the first game of the HCU MTE at Sharp Gymnasium on Monday night. The Huskies clawed all the way back to retake the lead with 1:03 to play but couldn't close things out as the Eagles held on.
Elijah Brooks started the ballgame with eight straight points for the Huskies, as the two teams battled to a draw over the first 12 minutes of the ballgame. A three-pointer from
Julian Mackey to beat the shot clock pulled HCU to within two points, 21-19 at the 9:15 mark, but the Eagles would then go on a 12-2 run to take their first double-digit lead of the night, 33-21 before
Bryson Dawkins three-ball stopped the spurt at the 4:27 mark.
A jumper from Brooks was followed by a pair of charity shots by
Peyton Rogers to cut the lead to three with just under two to go in the first frame. The Eagles then got a layup from Jalen Terry with three seconds left, and he then promptly stole the inbounds pass for another layup at the buzzer, giving EMU a 40-31 edge at the intermission.
Out of the break, it was Henry again, this time knocking down a three-pointer just two minutes in, stretching the Eagles lead to 14.
Julian Mackey kept the Huskies close, getting an offensive tip-in and then a three-pointer 42 seconds later to cut the lead back to 11 with just over 12 to play. The Eagles would then push the lead to its largest at 16, 63-47, on a layup by Arne Osojnik with 8:51 to go.
A three from
Bryson Dawkins was followed by a beautiful running scoop shot by
D'Aundre Samuels. That would get Samuels going, as went on a personal barrage from the arc. He would knock down three in a row from the arc before
Trent Johnson brought the house down with a massive follow up slam, pulling HCU to within four, 67-63 with just over four to play.
Samuels wasn't quite done.
Julian Mackey would find him fading into the corner, and once again Samuels shot found nothing but nylon to pull the Huskies to within a point. It was the fourth triple over a four-minute span, giving the sophomore from Denver 14 of his 15 points on the night.
With Sharp Gym on its feet, the Huskies got a blocked shot from
Trent Johnson on the next possession, and
Elijah Brooks grabbed the board and went coast-to-coast for the hoop and harm, giving HCU its first lead since the 11:23 mark of the first half. The lead was short-lived however, as EMU charged back down the floor and hit Osojnick on the win for a three-pointer just seven seconds after the free throw, giving the Eagles the lead back, 70-69 with 2:08 to play.
The Huskies would force two straight EMU turnovers, with the second leading to a steal by
Bryson Dawkins, who was fouled. After missing the first free throw, the second bounced off the rim and right to EMU's Da'Sean Nelson as he had tumbled to the floor. In his haste to find a teammate, he launched the ball right to
Peyton Rogers mid-section, and Rogers picked up the ball and laid it in to give the Huskies a 71-70 advantage with 1:03 left.
That would be the last points for the Huskies, as Eastern Michigan got a layup from Terry to retake the lead. He would then cooly knock down two free throws to push the lead to three before
Elijah Brooks got a fastbreak layup in the paint to cut the lead back to one, 74-73. The Huskies would then force another turnover from Eastern, but
Julian Mackey's last-second three-pointer went awry, allowing the Eagles to escape.
HCU shot 51% from the floor and 45% from the arc while EMU went for 57% from the floor but just 33% from the three-point line. The Eagles hit three more free throws than the Huskies, proving to be the difference.
Four players dented double-digits for the Huskies, led by Brooks and his 17. Samuels finished with a season-high 15 while hitting a career-best four three-pointers in just 14 minutes of action. Dawkins ended the night with 12 points and
Julian Mackey added 10, with both players pulling down five rebounds to lead HCU.
The Eagles, now 4-2 overall, were paced by Da'Sean Nelson with a game-high 19 points. Jalen Terry had 18 and six boards, while Jalin Billingsley and Christian Henry added 13 and 12 respectively for Eastern Michigan which will face Northern Arizona University on Tuesday night in Sharp Gym, immediately following the HCU women, who play Tarleton State University at 6 pm.
HCU falls to 2-4 on the campaign. The Huskies will finish off the two-game MTE and the four-game homestand on Wednesday night in a Thanksgiving Eve matchup against NAU at 7 pm in Sharp Gym.
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