BEAUMONT --- Houston Christian University saw its season come to a close with a 78-68 loss to Lamar University on Monday night at the Neches Arena at Montagne Center. The two teams went back-and-forth until the Cardinals gradually pulled away over the final six minutes to earn the victory and split the season series with the Huskies.
The game started with a quick pace, as the two teams were intent on getting up and down. Lamar would jump out to a 5-0 lead and a couple minutes later, two three-pointers from
Marcus Greene pulled HCU to within four, 10-6.
Tristan Moore would cut the lead to 12-8 a couple of possessions later on a baseline jumper, but the Cardinals would then hit three three's, the final by Ja'Sean Jackson to open up an 18-10 lead.
Bonke Maring then hit on a layup and a three-pointer by Moore from the left wing on the break just before the second media would carve into Lamar's lead, 21-15.
A nice find by
Marcus Greene to
Michael Imariagbe just before the shot clock expired made the score 24-17 Lamar. The Cardinals then would go on a little burst, and a short hook from Adam Hamilton gave the hosts their first double-digit lead, 30-19 with 8:21 remaining in the first half.
Down 11, the Huskies got a layup from
Jay Alvarez and a three from the top of the key by Greene to cut the deficit to six once again. Errol White then connected on a conventional three-point play to push the lead back to nine, but Alvarez answered back quickly with another runner off the window and the Huskies were down just seven, 35-28 with 3:54 to play.
Out of the final media break of the first half, the Huskies would string together a couple of stops and an offensive board and putback by
Bonke Maring cut the lead to three, 35-32. Two free throws by
Jay Alvarez got the Huskies to within one, and a short hook by Maring gave HCU its first lead, 36-35 just under the two-minute mark of the first half. A three-pointer from the corner in front of the HCU bench from Cody Pennebaker would hand the hosts the lead back, 38-36 as the two teams headed to the intermission.
Terry Anderson scored twice for Lamar, but was matched by a bucket at the shot clock horn by
Dominic Capriotti and a short score from Maring. A free throw from Chris Pryor extended LU's lead to five and then his steal led to another score from Anderson and the Cardinals had a seven-point lead once again with 15:54 to go.
HCU would come out of that break on a run of their own. Imariagbe had an offensive putback, and a three-point play by
Pierce Bazil cut the lead to two, 49-47. Maring would convert another offensive rebounds a moment later that kept it a two-point game. Another three-point play by LU's White and a bull move by Janko Buljic in the paint pushed LU's lead back to seven before a pair of Maring charity shots made it a five-point game just before the under-12.
Jay Alvarez scored on a nice move in the lane, and seconds later would find
Bonke Maring underneath for a score to get HCU to within three, 58-55. The Redbirds answered with a lefty layup from Terry Anderson, but Alvarez duplicated it on the other end, and after a steal and run-out, Alvarez finished with harm to make it a three-point deficit once again. The Huskies would then force two stops but couldn't convert, and driving layup by Chris Pryor resulted in an and-one, giving Lamar a six-point edge.
With just under six to play, Terry Anderson scored off the window to push the lead back to double-figures, 70-60 as Lamar ramped up the full-court pressure.
Bonke Maring scored in the paint at the five-minute mark to get the lead to eight, but a steal and dunk by Anderson pushed the lead back up to 10 with 4:01 to go.
The Huskies would get no closer than six the rest of the way, as Lamar would get stops and knock down free throws down the stretch to close out the win and avenge the earlier loss in Houston.
HCU shot just 40% on the night from the floor, and Lamar was efficient off Husky turnovers, getting 19 points off 13 giveaways by HCU. The Cardinals shot 49% from the field and tied the Huskies on the glass.
Marcus Greene and
Jay Alvarez each had 17 points to lead the Huskies.
Bonke Maring posted a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds, and surpassed 200 rebounds on the season. He joined Imariagbe with 200+ on the season, becoming the first pair since Reveal Chukwujekwu and Joshua Ibarra in 2016-17 to accomplish the feat.
Lamar, now 18-13 on the season and 12-6 in league play, were led by Terry Anderson's 21 points. Chris Pryor had 15 points and Cody Pennebaker and Janko Buljic chipped in 10 apiece for the Cardinals.
HCU falls to 6-23 overall and finishes 4-14 in Southland play. The Huskies lose one senior, post
Bonke Maring.
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