🆚 McNeese State University
📆 Monday – February 9, 2026
⏰ 6:30 pm CT
🏟️ Townley Law Arena – Lake Charles, Louisiana
📈 LIVE STATS
📺 ESPN+
🗒️ Game NOTES
Houston Christian University concludes its four-game road stretch with a pair of games in Louisiana, first in Hammond on Saturday at Southeastern Louisiana University before a Monday night tilt in Lake Charles against McNeese State University. The Huskies open the second leg with a 3:30 pm tip-off from the University Center as they look to avenge a December 13 overtime loss to the Lions.
On Saturday, HCU roared back from a 14-point halftime deficit to trail by one with just under 10 minutes to play, but Southeastern Louisiana University pulled away down the stretch to outlast the Huskies
55-47 in a defensive slugfest at the University Center in Hammond.
After a very slow start by both teams, Southeastern used an 18-5 burst over the final eight minutes of the half to take a 35-21 lead into the break. HCU shot just 6-26 in the first frame compared to a 60% clip by the host Lions, which included a half-closing 8-10 stretch from the floor. The second half began slowly just as the first half had. An offensive putback by
Demari Williams got the Huskies deficit back under double-digits and he would later hit a couple of free throws to keep the deficit at nine with under 13 to play.
HCU would then begin to match the offense to the defense.
Mambourou Mara got a slam on a streak down the lane and then just a possession later would get a massive mash off a pick-and-roll to pull HCU to within three. A pair of
Kylin Green free throws then made it a one-point game, 39-38 with nine minutes still to play, capping an 17-4 run to start the half.
That run would seemingly wake up the Lions. Three straight stops by SLU were capitalized on by a jumper by CJ Booker, a dunk by Gaines and then a three-ball from Peter Hemschemeier to push the lead back to eight, 46-38. A drive down the lane for a slam by Jeremy Elyzee pushed the lead back to 11 with a minute left, effectively putting the game out of reach.
Mambourou Mara had 12 points, four boards and two blocked shots to lead HCU.
Demari Williams had 11 points, five boards and three steals while
D'Aundre Samuels added nine.
Kylin Green had eight points and six assists while
Demarco Bethea led all players with seven rebounds.
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 in early December 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.
The Huskies are now 8-16 on the season and 4-11 in conference play. HCU is tied with Southeastern Louisiana and Northwestern State, one game behind Incarnate Word and East Texas A&M for the eighth and final spot in the tournament field with seven games left on the league schedule.
East Texas A&M defeated Northwestern State twice last week to jump two spots in the standings. HCU will travel to play both for a second time this season on the next to last weekend of regular season play.
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 10.7 points to go with 4.0 boards while sitting third in the Southland Conference at 4.7 assists per night. 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. He had his third double-digit assist effort of the season with 10 in the last-second win over Northwestern State to become the first player with three in a season since Ricky Bennett in 2003-04. His six dimes vs. UIW put him at 104 to become the first HCU player to hit the century mark in a single-season since Ian DuBose had 111 during the 2019-20 campaign.
Since the Christmas break,
Demari Williams has provided a huge spark for the Huskies, first off the bench before then making his first start of the season at UIW.
He has scored in double-figures nine times in the 12 games since returning from the holiday. In those 12 games (11 starts) Williams is leading the Huskies in scoring (14.8 ppg) while shooting 50% from the floor, 35% from deep and 81% from the charity stripe. The redshirt junior from Fulshear is averaging a team-best 12.9 ppg as well as 3.8 rebounds in conference action with shooting splits of 48/33/85.
Williams had a then career-best 19 points in the loss at then No. 3 Iowa State in the first game back (Dec. 29) and broke it five days later with his first-ever 20-point night, scoring 22 in the loss to UIW (1/3).
That high then fell as well in the homestand finale, as Williams led a huge rally against UIW (1/27) with his 24 points on a career-best 13-14 from the free throw line. Williams averaged 23 points and six rebounds on 15-23 (65%) shooting from the field in the two regular-season games against UIW.
The Huskies have three players in double-figures overall on the season as Williams has joined the fray at 10.0 following Monday's game. In conference action, the Huskies also have three players in double-figures with Williams (12.9) passing
Elijah Brooks (11.5) for the team lead while
Demarco Bethea averages 10.1 and leads HCU on the backboards at 5.6 per in conference action. Bethea is one of seven players averaging 3.1 rebounds or more in SLC play. Green (9.6) sits right outside double-digits with
Ryan Bartley (8.6) and
Trent Johnson (8.5) not far behind.
D'Aundre Samuels has started the last eight games for HCU, averaging 10.4 points, 4.0 caroms and 2.6 assists over that stretch. On the four-game homestand, he averaged 11 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.0 steals.
Ryan Bartley has gone 7-14 from the arc over the first three games of the road stretch, including matching his career-best with four at TAMUCC on January 31. Dating back to the start of the four-game homestand, Bartley is now 12-26 (46%) over his last seven games.
HCU and McNeese have met 36 times over the years, with the Pokes holding a 26-10 advantage in the series
following a 78-68 win in Houston on December 15. The Huskies led 40-33 at the half, but an 11-0 run by the Cowboys coming out of the break turned the tide, and the visitors eventually pulled away over the final four minutes. Larry Johnson led the Cowboys with 22 points and six boards while DJ Richards chipped in 14.
Ryan Bartley and
Trent Johnson combined to go 8-15 from the arc for 14 and 12 points respectively and
Demarco Bethea added 11 points and six boards.
Bill Armstrong is in his first season with McNeese, and has the Cowboys sitting at 19-5 overall and 12-3 in conference action. McNeese is in second place in the league, two games behind league-leading Stephen F. Austin after Saturday's 81-64 home win over Incarnate Word. The Cowboys lead the league in scoring at 81.3 points a game and are third in defense, allowing just 67.4 per game. McNeese also paces the league in field goal and free throw percentage as well as percentage as well as steals per game while ranking second in field goal defense
Johnson, a 6'4 freshman guard, paces a balanced offensive attack, scoring 16.9 points while pulling down 5.8 boards a game in SLC action. Tyshawn Archie, a 6'1 junior guard, averages 13.7 points and shoots 39% from distance, while 2024-25 Southland Player of the Year Javohn Garcia, a 6'3 senior guard, averages 9.9 points and 1.9 steals per game while hitting 36% from the arc.
HCU holds an 11-5 mark on February 9 with the last time playing coming in 2023, a 91-68 loss at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. HCU last tasted victory on the date in 2017, an 86-69 win at Northwestern State.
Following Monday against McNeese, the Huskies will have just six games remaining in the regular season with a playoff berth still in sight. HCU is set to return home for a pair of rematches with two more Louisiana schools this coming week; a Saturday Valentine's Day matinee against New Orleans before a Monday night tilt with Nicholls on February 16.
#DawgsUp
