HOUSTON --- Houston Christian University dropped a see-saw affair to two-time defending Southland champ McNeese State University, as the Cowboys put together a huge second twenty minutes to escape Sharp Gymnasium with a 78-68 win over the Huskies on Monday night. Playing their second game in three nights, the Huskies saw a seven-point halftime lead evaporate then retook the lead midway through the second half, before the Cowboys pulled away down the stretch.
 
HCU got out of the starting blocks strong to take control early. Back-to-back buckets by Demarco Bethea were followed by a jumper from Kylin Green, giving the Huskies a 14-6 lead just over five minutes in. A three-pointer by Tyshawn Archie got the Pokes to within four, but Trent Johnson would answer with a long ball of his own, as HCU led by a touchdown, 17-10 at the 13:27 mark of the first stanza.
 
The Huskies pushed the lead to eight on a D'Aundre Samuels three-pointer, and then to nine after three free throws by Kylin Green. A steal and dime by Elijah Brooks to Mambourou Mara were chased by a three-point play the hard way by Bethea, as HCU kept the margin at seven, 30-23 with 5:50 to go.
 
McNeese would cut the lead to two on a layup by Larry Johnson, and was down just three after Garwey Dual's layup with 2:15 to go before the break. HCU answered with a triple from Brooks and another by Trent Johnson, pushing the lead to it's largest, 40-30 with 45 ticks remaining before intermission. HCU would end up taking a seven-point edge into the lockeroom, 40-33.
 
The second half got underway with McNeese scoring 11 unanswered over the first 4:03. A DJ Richards three-pointer gave the Pokes their first lead of the night, 42-40 and a dunk by Colbert finished things off, giving McNeese a four-point edge.
 
A Ryan Bartley three-pointer would end the run, and moments later, Demari Williams got to work on the backboards, claiming two offensive boards before finally putting home a layup to pull HCU to within three. Williams would can a couple of charity shots a few moments later, and Trent Johnson connected from long range to reclaim the lead for HCU, 56-54 with 9:01 to go.
 
That would be the last lead of the night for the Huskies, as the Cowboys slowly began to pull away. Another triple from Richards gave McNeese the lead back and began a game-deciding 15-4 run over the next six minutes. A dunk and two freebies by Colbert were followed by a jumper at the 3:40 mark from Javohn Garcia that pushed the margin to nine, 69-60 lead with 3:40 to go.
 
HCU matched a season-best with a 10-23 effort from the three-point line for 43.5% and hit a season-best 82.4% from the charity stripe. McNeese conversely hit 59% from the floor and used a 44-22 edge in the paint and 33-13 margin off the bench to slip out of Sharp Gym with a hard-earned victory.
 
Ryan Bartley had 14 points to lead the Huskies, coming on a career-best four three-pointers made. Trent Johnson had 12 points and four rebounds while Demarco Bethea added 11 points and six caroms. Elijah Brooks and Kylin Green each posted nine points and five assists and Demari Williams went for eight points and game and career-high eight rebounds.
 
Larry Johnson had a game-high 22 points to lead McNeese (10-2 | 3-1 SLC). DJ Richards and Jerrell Colbert had 14 and 12 off the bench, with Colbert grabbing a team-best seven rebounds. Javohn Garcia added 11.
 
HCU drops to 5-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play, and face a quick turnaround once again. The Huskies will play their third conference game in five days on Wednesday as they travel to Thibodaux, Louisiana to take on Nicholls State University. Tip-off at Stopher Gymnasium is slated for 6:30 pm in the final outing before a 12-day Christmas break.
 
#DawgsUp