HAMMOND, Louisiana --- Houston Christian University took the lead nine minutes in and never trailed thereafter, holding on down the stretch to win its fourth straight game with a hard-earned 70-62 decision over Southeastern Louisiana University on Monday evening in the University Center. The Huskies got a combined 54 points from Bryson Dawkins and Julian Mackey to earn victories in both ends of the two-game swing in Louisiana while snapping SLU's six-game winning streak.
 
The two teams began the game trading baskets for the first four minutes. An early three-pointer from Julian Mackey got the Huskies on the board before four straight by Sam Hines Jr. gave the Lions the early lead. Bryson Dawkins knocked down a three to tie things up at six, but SLU scored five straight, finished off by a Brody Rowbury three-ball that gave the Lions a four-point edge, 11-7 at the 15:37 mark.
 
That would be the last scoring for the hosts for the next 6:14, and the Huskies took advantage. Bryson Dawkins, who scored 11 straight on Saturday in the game-deciding run against New Orleans, picked up where he left off. The southpaw slinger would can four straight three-pointers over the next six minutes, a personal 12-point run that lifted HCU to a 19-11 lead. Mackey hit a layup to keep the lead at eight, 21-13 with nine minutes left in the first frame.
   
Southeastern tried to recover from the blitz by Dawkins, with a little help from the Huskies who would not hit another field goal for five minutes. Layups by Hines and Kam Burton pulled the Lions to within four before a put-back by Porter Bazil restored a little order for HCU.  
   
Mackey would hit a step-back jumper, but Kyle Edison knocked down a three to cut the lead to three. Rowbury then got a tip-in with 22 seconds to go to pull SLU within one before Mackey slithered his way through the lane for a floater just before the buzzer to send the Huskies to the intermission ahead three, 29-26.
   
Out of the break, Sam Hines would sandwich a pair of buckets around three free throws by Mackey. Consecutive three-pointers from Mackey and Dawkins then pushed HCU's lead to seven, 38-31. A quick five from SLU was capped by a Carlos Paez drive to the hoop, cutting the Lions' deficit to three at the first media timeout.
 
The Huskies then put together a solid burst out of the media. Mackey was fouled beyond the arc again and hit all three charity shots to precede a tough D'Aundre Samuels mid-range jumper. Elijah Brooks followed with a strong drive down the middle of the paint for an emphatic tomahawk jam and moments later, Trent Johnson connected from deep to give HCU its largest lead at nine, 49-40 with 11:18 on the scoreboard.
   
Southeastern wasn't about to go quietly into the Louisiana night. Brody Rowbury hit a jumper off the glass and completed the three-point play, and after a Jakevion Buckley breakaway layup, Carlos Paez got a steal and knocked down a triple to finish a quick 8-0 run and pull the Lions to within one, 49-48. A free throw by Mackey and a layup by Dawkins got the Huskies back up by four as the clubs hit the under-eight media. Mackey would can another long one just after the break to push the HCU edge back to six, 55-49.
   
Trailing 57-51, the Lions charged back once more. Hines would hit a tough fallaway jumper on the baseline and then get a tip-in on a missed fast break layup with just over four minutes remaining to get the hosts to within three. But a big blocked shot by Trent Johnson on one end led to a layup seconds later by Samuels, and a tough floater in the lane by Mackey pushed the lead back to seven, 62-55 as the clock slid under two minutes.
   
The Huskies would then knock down eight of ten freebies down the stretch, including five of six from Dawkins that sealed the victory and a sweep of the two-game trip to Louisiana.
 
HCU shot 45% from the floor on the night, but at a 50% clip from the arc where it matched a season-best with 11 three-pointers. The Huskies also made good at the free-throw line, hitting 21-28 for 75% and never trailed after taking a 13-11 lead with 11:37 left in the first half.
 
Bryson Dawkins and Julian Mackey tied for game-high honors with 27 points apiece. Dawkins led the way in the first frame, hitting five three's for 15 points, while Mackey paced the second session by connecting on two three's with a 9-12 showing from the charity stripe for 17 points.
 
One game after setting his career high in scoring, Dawkins came one point shy. He finished 7-13 from the floor with a new personal best from the arc, going 6-9 from deep while also grabbing seven boards and blocking two shots. Mackey posted his eighth 20-point effort of the season going 7-12 from the field and 4-8 from long range.
 
It is the second time this season that the Huskies have had a pair combine for 50 or more points, and the second time Mackey has been involved. Mackey had 28 points to go along with a career-high 29 from Elijah Brooks as the two combined for 57 in a loss to Northern Arizona on November 27.
 
Peyton Rogers led HCU with nine rebounds and two steals, while Trent Johnson had six points, matched his personal high of seven caroms and added three assists and three blocked shots.
 
SLU shot 45% on the evening but just 19% from the arc and 58% from the line to have its six-game winning streak snapped. The Lions, now 12-9 overall and 6-4 in the Southland, were led by Sam Hines, Jr. and his 23 points, six rebounds and three steals. Brody Rowbury was the only other Southeastern player to make it to double-digits with 14 along with his team-high seven boards.  
 
Houston Christian University has now won four in a row to improve to 10-11 overall on the campaign. After starting the league slate at 1-2, HCU has taken six of seven and now sit at 7-3 in the Southland, tied for second with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Lamar. TAMUCC lost 74-73 at home to league-leading McNeese while Lamar bested Northwestern State 69-59. 
 
The four-game road swing continues later this week as HCU commences the second half of the league schedule with a tough bit of sledding travel-wise. A trek to San Antonio on Saturday evening to face rival UIW for the second time this season will be followed by a quick return to Louisiana for a Monday night affair in Thibodaux against Nicholls State University.
 
 
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