STEPHENVILLE, Texas — HCU took Tarleton State to double overtime before falling 75–71 at the EECU Center on Sunday afternoon. HCU stormed back from a 15-point deficit midway through the second quarter to take the lead in the fourth quarter, but the Texans used a 6-2 spurt over the final minute of the second extra period to close out the matinee thriller.
The Huskies found themselves down 25-10 with 4:48 to play in the first half at halftime but closed the gap with a 10-2 run before the half to trail by just seven.
Madelyne Davis hit a three to start the burst and
Dasia Hyams hit two buckets in the run as the Huskies trailed 27-20 at the break.
HCU then erupted in the third quarter, shooting over 60 percent from the field to pull all even at 40–40 entering the fourth.
Jordan Jackson,
Tove Caesar, and
Grace Booth led the charge during the comeback,as they combined for 16 of the team's 20 points in the period.
The Huskies then would build a five-point lead early in the fourth after a Booth three and a Jackson layup but Tarleton responded behind the inside play of Kyriana Jones and Elodie Lutbert. With under two minutes left, Caesar drained a clutch three-pointer to tie it at 56–56, and the Huskies' defense held to send the game to overtime.
Kamryn McLaurin's three-point play put HCU up 59–56 just a moment into the first extra session, but the hosts forced a second overtime when Lutbert scored in the final seconds of the period.
In double overtime, HCU knotted things up at 69 on a
Madelyne Davis three-pointer with 1:29 to go, but Luka Malinka hit six of seven from the charity stripe down the stretch to help the Texans pull away.
Houston Christian shot 39.3% from the field and 47.1% from three-point range, holding Tarleton to just 21.7% from deep. The Huskies also won the turnover battle (21 forced) and posted 17 points off turnovers, but the Texans capitalized on second-chance opportunities and free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Jordan Jackson posted a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds, knocking down 9-of-12 from the free-throw line.
Grace Booth added 10 points, a game-high 12 rebounds, and four assists while
Tove Caesar also added 12 points.
Madelyne Davis hit three from long range and ended with scored 11, and
Kamryn McLaurin scored 12 points off the bench.
Malinka led Tarleton (2-1) with 21 points off the bench. Kyrianna Jones and Elodie Lutbert each had 14 points while Jakoriah Long had a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards.
The Huskies will return to action when it heads to Oklahoma for a Thursday night tilt at the University of Tulsa. Tip-off at the Reynolds Center is slated for 6:30 pm.
