New Orleans

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vs. New Orleans

3/8/2026 | 5 pm


Mar. 08 (Sun) / 5 pm


vs. New Orleans

History

 
HOUSTON — Needing a win on the final night of the regular season, Houston Christian University secured its spot in the Southland Conference Tournament with a resounding 75-53 victory over Lamar University on Monday night. The Huskies pulled away in the second half in front of a crazed “Senior Night” crowd, winning what essentially had became a play-in game, what with UIW’s earlier loss to SFA on Monday night making the winner in Sharp Gym the final entrant into next week’s SLC postseason party.
 
The Cardinals jumped out quickly, with Braden East scoring twice inside and holding the Huskies scoreless over the first four minutes for a 6-0 lead by the first media. Ryan Bartley scored on a layup to break the ice for HCU, and moments later, the game was tied at eight on a short jumper by D’Aundre Samuels at the 13:48 mark.
 
Lamar would regain the lead at the 12:34 mark on a three-ball by Cody Pennebaker to push the Cardinals ahead 11-10. The Huskies responded with a 9-0 run that was finished off by a soft floater from Ryan Bartley and a three-pointer from Trent Johnson that gave HCU a 19-11 cushion with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half.
 

Bartley then himself canned a triple and Demarco Bethea converted an acrobatic finish on the fastbreak to give HCU its first double-digit lead and by the 4:35 mark, the lead grew to 14 on a Mambourou Mara layup, 29-15.
 

A 9-0 run by the Cardinals closed the gap at the half, with Rob Lee Jr. contributing a layup and a three-ball that cut the LU deficit to 29-24 at the half. It was virtually the same score the Huskies led by in Beaumont before the Cardinals rallied in the second half for a win on January 12.
 
Lamar cut the lead to one on back-to-back scores from Lee, Jr. but that was as close as the Cardinals would get the rest of the night, as the Huskies made sure there would be no repeat performance of the game in Spindletop. Kylin Green hit a layup and Ryan Bartley then converted a four-point play when he drilled a three-pointer and was fouled in the act, knocking down the charity shot for a 35-28 lead.
 
Three free throws by D’Aundre Samuels gave HCU a 41-32 lead with 15:01 to go. From there the Huskies got defensive, holding the Cardinals to just seven points over the next seven minutes. That stretch was capped by a thunderous highlight-reel alley-oop jam from Mambourou Mara that sent the crowd bonkers and pushed HCU’s lead to 53-39 with 7:29 to go, and the Huskies cruised from that point on to earn their spot in the postseason.
 

 
HCU led for 32 minutes on the night, with just six total lead changes and two ties. The Huskies held the Cardinals to just 33% shooting from the field, including 18% from the arc. Conversely, HCU outscored the Cardinals by eight in the paint and shot 53% from the floor on the evening.
 
HCU placed four players in double-digits, led by Ryan Bartley’s 15. Demarco Bethea had 14 points and six boards, while Kylin Green and D’Aundre Samuels each had 13 points. Green added team-highs of eight boards and five assists, while Samuels chipped in six boards and three assists. Mambourou Mara had nine points, seven boards two blocks and two steals while Trent Johnson had nine points and four steals.
 
Rob Lee Jr. had 16 points and Braden East had a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards to lead Lamar, which ends its season at 12-19 overall and 7-15 in the Southland.
 
The Huskies improve to 12-19 overall and 8-14 in the Southland. HCU will now head to the SLC Tournament, which begins on Sunday afternoon at the Townsley Law Arena in Lake Charles, Louisiana, hosted by McNeese. HCU will take on fifth-seeded University at New Orleans at 5 pm on Sunday in the opening game of the tournament, with the winner going on to take on fourth-seed Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
 
#DawgsUp
 

 
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