HBU Huskies upset Lamar Cardinals 94-87

Photo by Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017, All Rights Reserved

By Robert H Kelly
Copyright 2017 TexSport Publications

HOUSTON, TEXAS (February 11, 2017) The HBU Huskies took a big step to stay in contention for the 2017 Southland Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament with a 94-87 win over the Lamar Cardinals at Sharp Gymnasium in Houston on Saturday, February 11, 2017. The Huskies relied on their starting five, who all scored in double figures, in addition to having two players achieving a double-double. Starting guard Colton Lasher tallied 20 points, with Braxton Bonds adding 12 and Asa Cantwell chipping in 10. Reveal Chukwujekwu and Josh Ibarra both had a double-double in the game, with Ibarra scoring 17 points and pulling down 12 rebounds; eight of them on the defensive end of the court. Chukwujekwu pulled down 10 rebounds while scoring 15. Alex Fountain, who came off the bench for 2 4minutes of play added 13 points to HBU’s total.

HBU jumped out to a 44-28 lead at halftime with the Cardinals outscoring the Huskies 59-50 in the second half. However, Lamar’s final 20-minute performance was not enough to overcome their first half deficit. The Cardinals had five players on double figures, with Nick Garth coming off the bench to lead the team with 24 points. The Huskies out-rebounded Lamar 36-22 with the Cardinals holding the advantage in shooting (56%-49%) and assists (19-16).

The Huskies began the game in a three-way tie with Central Arkansas and Southeastern Louisiana, with a 6-6 record in conference action. The win pushed HBU to 7-6 and a tie with Central Arkansas, who downed Nicholls 106-83 on Saturday evening. Southeastern Louisiana dropped a 60-52 decision to New Orleans; falling to 6-7. The top eight teams will advance to the conference tournament in Katy, Texas on March 8-12, 2017.

The Huskies will remain home for their next two games. They will face Sam Houston State on Thursday, February 16 with a 7 p.m. CST tipoff. They will follow that up with a Saturday, February 18 matchup against the Randall Saints.