HCU at TEXAS
Houston Christian University takes to the road for the first of two straight against ranked opponents, traveling to Austin to tussle with the University of Texas on Friday night. The Huskies will face the No. 19-ranked Longhorns for the third consecutive season, with tip-off at the Moody Center scheduled for 7 pm.
The Huskies won their season opener on Monday, soaring past Avila University 86-59 in Sharp Gym. A 22-8 run over the final nine minutes of the first half broke the game open, handing new head coach
Craig Doty a victory in his debut with HCU. Doty was named Ann and James Sears Bryant Men's Head Coach in March, becoming the ninth ever head coach for the program as it begins its 59th year.
HCU led just 13-12 with nine to go in the first half before
Julian Mackey scored eight points and
Pierce Bazil hit a three-ball with two seconds to go before the buzzer to extend the HCU lead to 37-20 at the break. The lead would balloon to as many as 35 in the second half on a
D'Aundre Samuels jumper with 3:52 remaining.
Four players dented double-figures with
Bryson Dawkins leading the way pouring in a career-high 18.
Demari Williams and Mackey each had 11 while
Pierce Bazil chipped in 10. Peyton Rodgers had a game-high eight boards off the pine, while
Elijah Brooks had seven rebounds and a career-best five assists.
It was the first season opener played at home since the 2007-08 season, and the first season-opening victory since a 72-68 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff at the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii to begin the 2012-13 season. The Huskies took 35 three-pointers on the night, the first game with 30+ triples attempted since a 92-91 loss to Nicholls on February 4, 2023.
The Huskies return just four players off last year's squad. Brothers
Pierce Bazil and
Porter Bazil,
Marques Gates and
Nathan Self are the only holdovers on the 15-man roster. Those four are joined by 11 newcomers, a number that includes eight with prior NCAA Division I experience.
Not since the first season of transition back to NCAA Division 1 in 2007-08 have the Huskies had a larger incoming group of newcomers. That roster had just three returners (Montrel Allen, Kevin Amend and Andy Dillon), and featured 12 new players. The 15-man roster for HCU boasts players from nine different states as well as Canada, with Texas being the most represented with five players: Gates, Self,
Demari Williams,
Mason McBride and
Valentin Catt.
The game with Texas is the first of two in a row on the road, and first of three versus teams ranked in the Top 25 preseason rankings. Straight on the heels of the tilt on the 40 Acres is a trek to Omaha, Nebraska to face 15th-ranked Creighton. A short sojourn up the road to College Station just before the Christmas break brings a Friday matinee with Texas A&M, currently ranked No. 13 in the land.
HCU and Texas have met four times, all since the 2013-14 season, with UT holding a 4-0 lead. Texas won last year's game 77-50 on December 9, breaking away from a three-point game midway through the first half. The Longhorns enter the game 0-1 on the season after falling to Ohio State University 80-72 at the Hall of Fame Series Las Vegas Opening Night at T-Mobile Arena.
Freshman guard Tre Johnson pumped in 29 points in the loss, the most points by a freshman in his debut since Kevin Durant against Alcorn State in 2006. The difference in the game came from the arc as the Buckeyes nailed 14-28 from three-point range while the Longhorns went just 7-28. Kadin Shedrick and Arthur Kaluma each had 10 points and five rebounds.
HCU will head to Creighton next Wednesday before returning home next Saturday against Rockford University. That afternoon tilt begins a four-game homestand for the Huskies.
#DawgsUp
