🆚 Stephen F. Austin State University
📆 Saturday – January 10, 2026
⏰ 5 pm CT
🏟️ William R. Johnson Coliseum – Nacogdoches, Texas
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
🆚 Lamar University
📆 Monday – January 12, 2026
⏰ 6 pm CT
🏟️ Neches Arena at the Montagne Center - Beaumont, Texas
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
Houston Christian University takes to the road for a pair of games, first at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches on Saturday afternoon before a trip to Beaumont on Monday evening to square off with Lamar University.
The Huskies are coming off an 81-65 loss to Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi in Sharp Gymnasium on Monday night. The Islanders broke things open with a 24-9 run over the final seven minutes of the first half, dooming HCU to defeat in its first home game since mid-December.
HCU led 25-24 with 4:44 showing in the first half after a three from
D'Aundre Samuels and a layup by
Trent Johnson. The Islanders then held the hosts to just three points over that final stretch with a dunk by Leo Torbor capping off an 11-0 burst to giver A&M-Corpus Christi its first double-digit lead at 35-25. A three-pointer by D'Avian Houston with 49 ticks to go sent TAMUCC into the intermission up 41-27.
Mason Gibson hit a three two minutes into the second half to put the Islanders up 15, but moments later, the Huskies clawed to within nine after a triple from Johnson pulled HCU to within nine, 48-39 at the 16:27 mark. That would be as close as the Huskies would get the rest of the way however, as Gibson's jumper four minutes later pushed the lead back to 15.
The Huskies were led by
Kylin Green who had 15 points, four boards and four assists.
Demarco Bethea his career-high for the third time this season with 14 points while adding four rebounds.
Trent Johnson had nine points and
D'Aundre Samuels added eight points and five caroms.
Mambourou Mara and
Ryan Bartley each set a new personal-best with four assists apiece and Mara added three blocked shots as well.
Craig Doty, the ninth head coach in program history, is now in 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. It was announced earlier in the week that
Doty has signed a contract extension through the 2029-30 season.
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.
Elijah Brooks, who missed the first four games of the season and has not played since returning from the Christmas break, still leads HCU at 12.3 points per night while also chipping in 4.5 boards, 3.1 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Kylin Green is just behind him at 11.9 points to go with 4.2 boards and is second in the Southland Conference at 5.1 assists per game. He had a career-high 24 points in the loss over Thanksgiving week to Bellarmine and also registered a career-best 13 assists in the victory over ULM on November 13, the most in a game for HCU since Mike Moss had 13 against Chicago State in 2011. Green flirted with a triple-double in the overtime home loss to Southeastern, finishing with eight points, nine boards and 10 assists, and is averaging 5.5 assists through six conference games.
A slow start to the season saw
Ryan Bartley score just 20 total points and shoot 2-16 from deep over the first four games of the season. He then went 20-50 for 40% over the next 10 games, posting seven double-figure scoring games in that stretch with a season-best 16 in the conference opening victory at New Orleans and a career-high 4-8 showing from the arc in a home loss to McNeese. Bartley averaged over 11 per game over that span to up his season average a tick over nine points per game.
Demari Williams has provided a spark off the bench as of late before starting the last two games. Williams posted a then career-best 19 points in the loss at No. 3 Iowa State and then broke that mark five days later with his first-ever 20-point night, scoring 22 in the loss at UIW. Over his last seven games, the junior from Fulshear is averaging 11.9 points and four rebounds while shooting 52% from the floor in 23.5 minutes per game.
While putting just two players in double-digit scoring in all games, the Huskies have a quintet of players notching double-figures in conference play. Brooks (11.5) leads the way, followed closely by
Demarco Bethea (11.2) and
Kylin Green (11.0).
Demari Williams is at 10.7 in conference action and
Ryan Bartley chips in 10.5.
Trent Johnson isn't far behind at nine points per game.
Bethea leads the Huskies at 5.7 boards per night in conference play, upping his season averages to 4.2. He is averaging 9.2 points per game on the year and has set and then matched twice his career-high of 14 points, most recently in the home loss to TAMUCC. He leads the Huskies with his 60% shooting percentage, which
HCU takes on SFA on Saturday at William R. Johnson Coliseum in Nacogdoches. HCU and SFA have met 22 times with the Jacks leading the all-time series 19-3. The Huskies took both meetings last season, winning in the Piney Woods for the first time ever with an 83-73 victory on January 6 before completing its first-ever sweep of SFA with a 72-56 win in Houston on February 24.
Matt Braeur is in his first season as head coach in the Piney Woods after spending the last seven seasons as an assistant to Grant McCasland, first at North Texas before the last two seasons at Texas Tech. The Lumberjacks are currently 12-3 on the season and sit in a second-place tie with McNeese at 5-1 in conference action following their 66-64 loss to the Pokes in Lake Charles on Monday evening. He has the Jacks sitting atop the league in three-pointers made per game at 9.7 and in scoring defense, limiting opponents to just 64.9 points per night.
Keon Thompson, a 6'1 senior guard, paces an offensive attack that is third in the SLC at 78.6 points per. He averages 17 points, 5.2 rebounds and 4.5 assists on the season. Lateef Patrick, a 6'2 junior college transfer from Trinidad State is at 16 points and is tied for fourth in the league at 2.3 made three's per game.
6'2 sophomore transfer from Midwestern State Narit Chotikavanic averages 11.2 points per game. He is second in the league in made three's (3.1) per, and sits atop the SLC at 46.5% from the arc on the season. Jerald Colonel, a 6'9 senior transfer from league-foe Northwestern State, is averaging a team-best 7.7 rebounds and is first in the Southland in blocked shots, recording 3.1 swats per game.
The game at Lamar on Monday evening represents the shortest road trip of the season for HCU, traveling just under 100 miles east on I-10 to Beaumont. HCU and Lamar have met 28 times with the Cardinals holding a 21-11 lead. That margin is just 14-9 in conference play, as the two schools have split the season series six times since 2013-14. The Huskies last won at the Montagne Center in 2017, winning 75-68. LU took the season series last year, winning 63-61 in the Golden Triangle on January 4 before outlasting the Huskies 66-58 in Houston on February 24.
Lamar is helmed by 44-year coaching veteran Alvin Brooks, who is now in his fifth year in charge of his alma mater. Brooks played his final two collegiate seasons with the Cardinals before embarking on his coaching career in 1981 as an assistant at Lamar.
The Cardinals are currently 7-8 overall and 2-4 in SLC play having lost two straight entering their game Saturday versus Incarnate Word in Beaumont. Lamar is first in the league in blocked shots per game at 4.87 per.
Rob Lee Jr., a 6'2 transfer guard from Wayne State, leads the Cardinals in scoring at 14.6 points while shooting 36.9% from long range. He is tied for ninth in the league at two triples made a game.
Andrew Holifield, a 6'10 senior forward, registers 13.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 2.0 blocks, good for second in the league. Braden East, a 6'9 forward leads the league in rebounding at 8.5 overall and 9.5 in conference action.
HCU is 11-3 all-time on January 10, but has played just five times on the date since 2000. The Huskies last played in 2018 against Abilene Christian, an 82-74 loss in Sharp Gym with their last win coming at home in 2005, a 70-68 win over Bacone. The Huskies have a 9-1 mark at home on January 12, but are 0-6 in road games for a 9-7 overall mark. HCU last played on this date in 2023, a 68-59 Sharp win over then Texas A&M-Commerce, now East Texas A&M.
Tip-off in Nacogdoches on Saturday against SFA is slated for 5 pm, with Monday night's game in Beaumont getting underway at 6 pm. The Huskies will return after the pair to begin a season-long four-game homestand when they host East Texas A&M on January 17.
#DawgsUp
