HBU Huskies advanced in SLC Tournament with 74-60 win over McNeese State

Story and photo by Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2021 All Rights Reserved

KATY, TEXAS (March 10, 2021) Paced  by the 20 points of Jilija Vujakovic, the No. 8 HBU Huskies downed the number nine ranked McNeese State Cowgirls by the score of 74-60 to advance to the second round of the 2021 Hercules Tires Southland Conference  Women's Basketball Tournament.

Those in attendance at the Leonard E. Merrell Center saw three Huskies join Vujakovic, who hails from Bereldange, Luxembourg, connect for double digit scoring.   

N'Denasija Collins (Timberview HS, Mansfield, Texas) tallied 18 points, with Timia Jefferson (Timberview HS, Mansfield, Texas) adding 16, and Kennedy Wilson (Timberview HS, Mansfield, Texas) chipping in 10. Head coach Donna Finnie only played eight players in the game, with the four mentioned above accounting for 64 of the Husky's 74 points.

Divine Tanks  (Barbe HS, Lake Charles, LA) and Shaela Gardner (Chipola College, Memphis, TN) led the Cowgirls with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Next up for the Huskies, in the second round, will be the number five ranked Central Arkansas Sugar Bears. The Sugar Bears received a first-round bye in the tournament, with their last game being a 45-40 loss to Northwestern State on March 6. Central Arkansas and HBU did not play each other this season; having last played on January 1, 2020. In that matchup, the Sugar Bears came out on top by the score of 63-39.

Rice Owls down UTRGV in 2nd round of WBI

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (March 19, 2017) The Rice Owls moved to the semifinals of the 2017 Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI) with a 73-63 win over the UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros by the score of 73-63 at Tudor Fieldhouse on Sunday, March 19, 2017. They will face the winner of the Idaho vs. Eastern Washington game, which is to be played on Monday, March 20 in Cheney, Washington.

Senior Jasmine Goodwine tallied 23 points and 14 rebounds for her sixth career double-double. The Killeen, Texas native shot 9-of-16 from the field and 4-of 6 from the free throw line. Sophomore Lauren Grigsby added 24 points for the Owls while going 12-of-12 from the line. The Vaqueros were 20-of-65 from the field (31%) and 18-of-26 from the free throw line.

The win was the first time since the 1998-1999 season that the Owls have won two games in the post-season. Playing in the Women’s NIT, they downed Miami 65-58 and Baylor 82-20 before falling to Arkansas 76-70 in the third round.