HOUSTON – HCU led for nearly 30 minutes of game time but found themselves trailing by one as the final seconds ticked down before connecting on four free throws in the final four seconds of the game to take a Southland Conference win, 67-64, over UT Rio Grande Valley on Saturday afternoon inside Sharp Gym.
HCU (5-12, 2-6 SLC) controlled the tip and just 10 seconds in
Amy Cotton drained a three to get the scoring started. A
Kendall Beck jumper and another Cotton triple then put the Huskies ahead, 8-0, a little over two minutes into the game.
The Vaqueros (9-10, 4-4 SLC) responded with an eight-point run of their own to even it up at 8-8 with 4:19 on the clock.
Victoria Dixon and
Tiffany Tullis got the Huskies' offense rolling again, putting the team up by four, before UTRGV closed out the quarter with a pair of buckets for an even 12-12 score line after the first 10 minutes.
In the second quarter, the Huskies again came out fast with points on their first four possessions to go ahead, 19-12, in less than two minutes of game action. UTRGV again answered with a run of its own, scoring 11-straight to take a 23-19 lead less than three minutes later. HCU responded, pulling ahead by one before the Vaqueros pushed their lead to six, 34-28, with under a minute to go in the half.
Erin Maguire connected on a three with 33 seconds to go to cut the deficit in half and send the Huskies into the locker room trailing 34-31.
Yet again in the third, the Huskies came out firing with an eight-point run in the first three and a half minutes for a 39-34 advantage. HCU maintained its lead throughout the third quarter with Cotton twice making baskets to go ahead by seven, including at 47-40 with just 1:37 left in the period. Kayla Lorenz knocked down a three with 45 seconds on the clock and following a defensive stop the Vaqueros had a shot attempt in the lane blocked by Maguire who fired the ball downcourt to a streaking Tullis who got her layup attempt up just ahead of the buzzer to head into the final 10 with HCU ahead 49-43.
HCU out-scored the Vaqueros 9-3 to start the fourth with a Maguire mid-range jumper giving the Huskies their largest lead of the day, 58-46. UTRGV came back with a five-point burst to trim the HCU lead down to seven with more than five minutes left but the Huskies were able to push their lead back up to 10, 63-53, with 4:21 to go.
The Vaqueros clawed back and scored on four of their next five possessions, including three-consecutive three-pointers to go ahead 64-63 with just over a minute left. Neither team scored on its next possession and with just four seconds left on the clock Tullis drew a foul under the basket to earn a pair of free throws. The senior connected on both, putting HCU ahead 65-64. On the ensuing UTRGV possession, Maguire drew an offensive foul on Gianna Angiolet with just two ticks remaining. She was then fouled on the Huskies' in-bound and connected on two free throws for the final.
Tullis posted a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Huskies, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor, while also dishing out three assists. Cotton added a career-high 15 points and five rebounds, shooting 6-of-11 from the field and 3-of-6 from behind the arc. Maguire ended the day with 13 points and five assists while
Hannah Fields finished with seven points and nine rebounds.
The Huskies shot 42.2 percent (27-of-64) from the field, 30 percent (6-of-20) from three and 87.5 percent (7-of-8) from the foul line. HCU's 67 points were the second-most in a game this season for the Huskies while the team's nine turnovers were the fewest in a game this year. UTRGV held a 39-36 advantage on the boards and committed 13 turnovers.
The Huskies hit the road for their next four games beginning this Thursday, Jan. 23, with a visit to Hammond, La. to face conference co-leader Southeastern at 6:00 p.m.
