DENTON, Texas --- Houston Christian University mounted a furious rally down the stretch but came up just short in a nail-biting 77-75 loss to University of North Texas on Tuesday evening. After leading early, the Huskies trailed by nine with just under five minutes to go before whittling the deficit all the way down to one with four seconds remaining before the Mean Green escaped the see-saw affair at The Super Pit.
 
HCU opened up with eight straight points and strong defense, holding the Mean Green to just two points over the first four minutes. Three-pointers by Trent Johnson and Ryan Bartley bookended the opening spurt, and a free throw out of the break and another three-ball by Bartley extended the run to 12-5 with 15:04 on the clock.
 
Moments later, Kylin Green knocked down a three that was immediately answered by Je'Shawn Stevenson, pulling the Green to within three, 17-14 as the two teams hit the under-12 media. Nehikhare Igiehon would get a hoop and harm out of that break and a three by Mambourou Mara reestablished the seven-point edge exactly midway through the first half.  
 
The two teams would begin to trade baskets for the next few minutes. Shackleford sandwiched two buckets around free throws by Mara and a layup by Elijah Brooks. D'Aundre Samuels got in on the act from long range, knocking down a triple with six minutes left to give HCU a 30-25 lead.
 
UNT then began a late-half surge, aided by a cold spell by the Huskies. Stevenson knotted things at 30 with a pull-up three on the break, and five quick points by Reece Robinson gave the Mean Green their first advantage of the game at 35-30 with 3:17 to play. Demarco Bethea would end the four-minute drought for HCU with two buckets in the paint, but another three by Stevenson finished off a 15-4 run that sent the Huskies into the break trailing 40-34.
 
The second half began with just one score between the two teams for nearly three minutes. Two buckets by Igiehon and a Ryan Bartley score on a breakaway pulled HCU to within four, 47-43. A corner three-ball by D'Aundre Samuels was followed by a rejection by Igiehon that forced a UNT shot clock violation and the Huskies suddenly found themselves down just one, 47-46 with 11:40 to go.
 
North Texas tried to to pull away. The Mean Green rode the hot hand of Cahmai Crosby, who knocked down four triples over a five-minute span with the final pushing the advantage to its largest at nine, 65-56 as the final media of the game beckoned.
 
HCU wouldn't go away quietly however. Two free throws and then a layup by Kylin Green were followed by a strong move to the paint by Elijah Brooks, whose short hook banked off the glass to make it a one-possession game. After a layup from Stevenson, Igiehon scored again to keep it a two-point game, with 1:59 to play.
 
UNT would score four straight to push the lead back to six with just over a buck left on the clock. But HCU kept coming as Demari Williams scored on a reverse, then got a steal on the other end. Brooks would convert a conventional three-point play with 4.3 seconds left to cut the lead to one.
 
David Terrell Jr. then hit two free throws to push the advantage to three for North Texas. HCU advanced the ball to halfcourt and called a timeout to set up a final play, but UNT fouled Trent Johnson immediately to prevent a shot. Johnson converted the first free throw and missed the second, but Reese Robinson came out of the ensuing scrum to secure the rebound and the escape for the Mean Green.
 
HCU shot 54% in the second half to finish at 48% on the night. The Huskies canned 40% from the arc and went to the free throw line 32 times while committing a season-low four turnovers. The Mean Green needed every bit of the Super Pit rims to hold on for the victory, as they hit 62% from the floor and 56% from the three-point line.
 
Lewisville native Kylin Green returned home and led a very balanced offense for HCU with 13 points and four assists. Elijah Brooks had 12 points and four assists while Nehikhare Igiehon had 10 points to round out the double-digit trio. D'Aundre Samuels had nine points while Trent Johnson and Ryan Bartley each had eight. Demarco Bethea and Johnson each had four boards to lead the Huskies.
 
Reece Robinson set a career-high with 16 points and grabbed a game-high nine boards to lead the Mean Green (7-2), one of four players in double-figure scoring. Je'Shawn Stevenson ended with 15 points and six assists, while Josiah Shackleford and Cahmai Crosby added 13 and 12 respectively. David Terrell Jr. posted eight points, eight assists and a game-high 10 dimes.  
 
HCU's record goes even at 4-4 on the season. The road travels come to their conclusion this Saturday as Southland Conference play begins with the Huskies traveling to the Big Easy for their league opener against University of New Orleans. Tip-off at Lakefront Arena with the Privateers is slated for 5 pm.
 
 
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