BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas --- Houston Christian University dropped an afternoon matinee to No. 12 Texas A&M University, falling 77-45 in Reed Arena on Friday in the middle game of a three-game road stretch closing out non-conference play.
After A&M opened the scoring,
Julian Mackey got a drive down the middle for a three-point play to get HCU on the board. The Aggies responded with a quick 5-0 burst, all from Hayden Hefner, with his three-ball giving the hosts an early 7-3 lead at the first media.
The lead would extend to 11-4 before
Porter Bazil got fouled on a three and knocked down all three free-throws, pulling HCU to within four with 14:22 to play in the half. A&M would answer and a jump hook by Pharrel Payne pushed the lead up to eight, 15-7 with just under 12 minutes to play. HCU would come right back and cut the lead back to four again after a breakway layup from
D'Aundre Samuels and a three-ball from
Trent Johnson on the break, cutting the margin to 18-14.
The Aggies would then go on an 10-1 run over the next four minutes, with a Jaelen Lee jumper pushing the lead into double-digits for the first time on the afternoon. The margin would grow to 15 on a Zhuric Phelps layup before
Bryson Dawkins squelched the run with a kiss of the glass on a runner just before the final media timeout of the first session. HCU would get back-to-back buckets from
Ivan Reynolds and Samuels in the final minute and a half would cut the lead to 12, 35-23, as the teams headed to the intermission.
The second half opened with a 9-0 run by the Aggies, one finished off by Hayden Hefner's dunk and then deep three-pointer which forced HCU into a timeout with just over three minutes gone.
Porter Bazil's long jumper from the corner stopped the burst, and moments Samuels hit a teardrop in the lane just before the under-12 media to inch the Huskies to within 16.
A step-back three by Manny Obesaki pushed the lead over 20 for the Aggies, but five quick points from
Pierce Bazil closed the gap back again. Texas A&M would reassert itself again, holding the Huskies to just six points over the next 4:42 of the game to cruise to the win.
HCU shot just 31% on the night, while Texas A&M shot 47% overall and 41% from the three-point line. The Aggies, tops in the country in offensive rebounding, used a 20-8 edge on their own end as part of a larger 52-25 margin on the backboards, scoring 23 second-chance points in the contest.
D'Aundre Samuels was the lone HCU player in double-digits on the afternoon, scoring 12 points to go along with four rebounds and two assists.
Bryson Dawkins added nine points and
Julian Mackey had seven, while
Peyton Rogers had a team-high eight rebounds.
Texas A&M placed four players in double-figures in improving to 10-2 on the season. The Aggies were led by Hayden Hefner's 19 while Manny Obaseki had 13 points and four assists. Pharrel Payne and Zhuric Phelps each 10 points while Solomon Washington led all players with 11 caroms.
HCU falls to 4-8 on the campaign and will face a quick turnaround, traveling to Denton for another afternoon affair on Sunday against University of North Texas. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 pm at The Super Pit in the final non-conference outing of the season and final game before the Christmas break.
After the two-week hiatus, HCU will return to the hardwood on January 4, 2025 as it resumes Southland Conference action in Beaumont against Lamar University. The Huskies will be back in Sharp Gym come January 11 when a four-game homestand ensues against rival University of the Incarnate Word.
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