HCU at INCARNATE WORD
HCU at NICHOLLS
- Monday – February 3, 2025 (6:30 pm)
- Thibodaux, Louisiana (Stopher Gymnasium)
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- 🗒️ GAME NOTES (Updated Sunday)
Houston Christian University hits the back half of a four-game road swing this Saturday when it heads to San Antonio to take on rival University of the Incarnate Word at the McDermott Center. It is the second game between the two schools this season, as HCU won 81-76 in the first encounter at Sharp Gym on January 11. The road stretch concludes as the Huskies face a long haul back to Louisiana, going from the Alamo to Thibodaux to take on Nicholls on Monday evening.
HCU is now 10-11 on the season after taking both ends of the Louisiana swing last weekend. The Huskies defeated New Orleans on Saturday before ending Southeastern Louisiana's six-game winning streak on Monday evening. The Huskies have improved to 7-3 in the Southland and are now tied with Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Lamar for second in the league table at the midway point of the conference slate.
The Huskies beat SLU in Hammond 70-62 behind a combined 54 points from
Bryson Dawkins and
Julian Mackey. Dawkins had 27 points one game after a career-high 28 at UNO, while Mackey's 27 was his eighth 20-point night of the season. HCU took the lead nine minutes into the contest and never trailed thereafter, holding on down the stretch to run its winning streak to four games.
SLU took an 11-7 lead nearly five minutes in, but HCU held the hosts scoreless for the next six-plus minutes. In the meantime, Dawkins scored 12 straight on four straight three-pointers to give HCU the lead for good. The lead was cut to three with four minutes left but a big blocked shot from
Trent Johnson led to a layup for
D'Aundre Samuels and a tough floater in the lane by Mackey pushed the lead back to seven. HCU would hit eight of ten from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the victory.
Bryson Dawkins and
Julian Mackey tied for game-high honors on the night. Dawkins led the way in the first frame, hitting five three-pointers 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 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 went 7-12 from the field and 4-8 from long range.
The 54 points combined by Dawkins and Mackey was the second time this season HCU had a pair of players team up for 50 or more points.
Elijah Brooks (career-high 29) and Mackey (28) first turned the trick with 57 points against Northern Arizona. That combination against NAU represented the highest combined total since Darius Lee tied the single-game scoring record with 52 points and Khristion Courseault added 30 during HCU's legendary 149-144 four-overtime win over McNeese on March 5, 2022.
HCU is led by first-year head coach
Craig Doty, who was hired as the ninth head coach in school history back in March as the program is now in its 59th season. Doty brings 12 years of head coaching experience to the HCU sidelines, having coached on the NJCAA, NAIA and NCAA Division II levels while capturing three national titles along the way.
Julian Mackey continues to pace the Huskies in scoring, sitting at 15.4 points after collecting his eighth 20-point effort in 21 games played. The senior transfer from the Peach State has eclipsed his career-high three times this season, and currently ranks fourth in the SLC in scoring and third in conference play from the free throw line at 79.6% clip for the season.
Bryson Dawkins has scored 55 points in his last two games, and that outburst moved him into the top 10 in the SLC at 13.4 ppg on the year. Dawkins is also second on the club in rebounding, hauling in 4.8 per game. He is now first on the club in conference scoring at 16.6 points, three ticks ahead of Mackey at 16.3.
At 28.8 points combined overall, Mackey and Dawkins are the third-highest scoring duo in the Southland Conference, just behind Davion Bailey/Jalin Anderson of UIW (31.2 ppg) and Sam Hines Jr./Jakevion Buckley of Southeastern (29.5 ppg).
Elijah Brooks and
Trent Johnson continue their solid all-around play. Brooks checks boxes with 9.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 steals per on the season. Johnson is having a strong recent run, chipping in 9.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and two assists per during the four-game unbeaten streak.
HCU and UIW meet for the second time this season and 42nd time overall in a series that dates back to 1991. The Cardinals hold a 25-16 lead in the series but HCU claims a 15-10 advantage since the two clubs have been in the Southland with the Huskies having won 14 of the last 19. Of the 25 games in SLC play, 13 have been decided by seven points or fewer, including the last four games played between the two.
That streak also includes the previous meeting this season, as the Huskies held off a late surge by the Cardinals for an 81-76 win in Sharp Gymnasium on January 11. UIW stormed ahead 74-73 but HCU held the visitors to just two points over the 3:46 of the contest to pull away. A quartet of players dented double-digits for HCU, led by
Bryson Dawkins with 17.
Julian Mackey added 16,
Elijah Brooks had 15, seven boards and four assists and
D'Aundre Samuels chipped in 13 off the pine. UIW was led by Jordan Pyke's 27 points and seven boards, while Dylan Hayman added 19 points.
The Cardinals also sport a 10-11 overall mark, but are 3-7 in conference play under Shane Heirman, now in his second season at the helm on Broadway Street. UIW places four players in double-digit scoring, led by the aforementioned duo of 6'1 grad transfer guard Bailey (17.6) and 6'3 grad transfer guard Anderson (13.6). Anderson leads the league at 5.3 assists per contest, and adding in veteran 6'5 forward Hayman (13.5) gives the Cardinals the highest scoring trio in the league as well at 44.7 points per contest. Pyke chips in 11.5 points and paces the club on the boards at 5.6 per game.
HCU is 10-6 all-time in games played on January 25. The Huskies last played on this date in 2020, falling at McNeese 102-89, and last won on this date in 2016 with a 109-84 victory over Hillsdale Baptist.
The game on Monday night at Nicholls is the lone meeting between the two schools for this regular season. HCU and Nicholls, former conference mates in the Trans America Athletic Conference from 1982-84, have met 38 times over the years with the Colonels holding a 24-14 lead in the series, including a 16-3 edge in SLC play. Of those 19 games, 14 have been decided by 10 or less, with six being by one possession.
Tevon Saddler is in his second year on the sideline of Stopher Gym, and has the Colonels at 12-9 overall and 6-4 in conference play coming into the weekend. NSU will host league-leading McNeese on Saturday in the second meeting of the season between the two. The Colonels are paced by 6'2 senior guard Byron Ireland, who averages 13.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. 6'4 senior guard Robert Brown III averages 12.7 points while 6'6 senior forward Jamal West Jr. averages 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds.
February 3 has seen HCU play 18 times with a 12-6 overall mark. It is the second straight year HCU and Nicholls have played on this date, with the Colonels winning at home 83-73 in 2024. HCU last won on this date in 2011, defeating Chicago State 97-94 in overtime.
The pair of contests completes the four-game road stretch for the Huskies, who will return home to Sharp Gymnasium on Saturday, February 8 against New Orleans.
#DawgsUp
