🆚 UC San Diego
📆 Saturday, November 8, 2025
⏰ 9 pm CT
🏟️ LionTree Arena – La Jolla, California
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
📒 GAME NOTES
Houston Christian University faces its first road test of the 2025-26 campaign when it takes on University of California San Diego on Saturday night. Tip-off for the first-ever clash with the Tritons is set for 9 pm CT from Lion Tree Arena in La Jolla, California.
The 60th season of HCU basketball and second under Ann and James Sears Bryant Head Coach
Craig Doty got off on the right foot Monday night, as the Huskies claimed a 74-70 victory over Southern Arkansas University in Sharp Gym. The Huskies saw a second half 16-point lead evaporate as the visiting Muleriders tied things up with just under two minutes to play before four clutch free throws by
Kylin Green staved off the visitors and clinched the season-opening victory.
HCU led 37-30 at the break and then started the second half on a 9-0 run. The Huskies still led by 12 at the midway point after
D'Aundre Samuels triple, but the visitors stormed back, highlighted by three three's from Greg Moore Jr. and a game-tying one by Roderick Williams, Jr. with 2:07 to play.
Mambourou Mara then had the game's biggest defensive play, as he blocked a potential game-tying layup from Jair Horton.
Green hit two more freebies to put the icing on the cake.
Green led the way for HCU, posting career-highs with his 17 points and nine dimes in his Sharp Gym debut.
Nehikhare Igiehon had 13 points and five boards and
Trent Johnson closed out the double-digit trio with 12 points to go with a team-high seven caroms and three blocked shots.
Mara had seven points, six boards and a career-best four blocked shots while
Ahjany Lee added seven points in his return to the hardwood after sitting out all last year.
Doty, the ninth head coach in program history, enters his second season at the helm after guiding HCU to a 12-20 overall mark and 9-11 ledger in Southland Conference action in 2024-25. The Huskies doubled their success rate from the previous season, going from six total wins to 12 and from four victories to nine in conference play, finishing seventh in the league after being picked to finish last. HCU advanced to the Southland Tournament and saw
Bryson Dawkins named All-Conference as just the second player in program history to pick up SLC First Team honors.
The Huskies take on the Tritons for the first time ever. It is the 18th game all-time for HCU against a team from California. HCU has not played a team from the Golden State since the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons, when the Huskies split a home-and-away series with UC-Riverside. HCU fell in Riverside 78-67 but returned the favor the following season with a 72-59 victory over the Highlanders in Sharp Gym.
Saturday marks the second game of the season as well for UC San Diego, which routed La Verne 105-73 Monday in the debut of Clint Allard as head coach, who takes over at his alma mater following 11 years as Associate Head Coach. UCSD has a revamped roster from last year's 30-5 squad that took both the Big West regular season and tournament titles en route to a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where they lost in the first round to Michigan. The Tritons, like the Huskies, feature 10 new faces on the lineup card.
Four transfers and a freshman scored in double-digits against La Verne, led by 6'8 transfer forward Leo Beath, who scored 24 points while pulling down six boards. 6'5 junior transfer Tom Beattie had 15 points and four boards and 6'5 sophomore transfer Alex Chaikin had 13 points. Freshman wing Hudson Mayes had 12 points and eight boards and 6'11 transfer forward Bol Dengdit had 10 points and a game-high nine caroms.
Saturday marks the sixth time to ever play on November 8. The Huskies are 1-4 all-time on this date, with the most recent outing being last year vs. No. 19 Texas, a 90-59 loss in Austin. HCU's lone victory came in 1994 when the Huskies defeated St. Edward's University 76-65 in Sharp Gymnasium.
Following the Saturday tilt in the Golden State, the Huskies return home to Sharp Gymnasium for their next two contests. HCU will host games on back-to-back Thursdays, against University of Louisiana-Monroe on November 13 and then again on November 20 against crosstown foe College of Biblical Studies-Houston.
#DawgsUp
