Houston Christian Huskies at Northwestern Wildcats
· NCAA Men's Basketball63 - 72
Lindsey scores 19, Northwestern rallies past Houston Baptist
Sanjay Lumpkin and Vic Law had 11 points apiece as the Wildcats (11-2) won their eighth straight game.
"Certainly, I feel fortunate with the outcome; we had a lot of things going against us there tonight," Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. "The thing I was proud of at halftime was we didn't panic. What we tried to talk about was there was still 20 minutes to play."
Colter Lasher and Atif Russell had 13 points apiece for HBU (4-6).
"It was a tale of two halves," Huskies coach Ron Cottrell said. "All of a sudden in the second half, they're controlling the offensive glass and getting second and third opportunities. That was what was really making it tough on us on the defensive end.
"On the offensive end, we were really just having a hard time scoring. Their defense was very, very good in the second half."
HBU, which led by as many as 12 points, took a 35-25 halftime lead.
Russell put the Huskies back on top with a fast-break dunk with just over 12 minutes to play, but Lindsey gave Northwestern the lead for good with a 3-pointer to make it 48-46 with 11:17 remaining.
HBU, which shot 53.8 percent in the first half, went cold midway through the second. The Huskies were scoreless for 3:28 and were held without a field goal for 5:39 as Northwestern took command.
"We just had a hard time getting going," Collins said. "I thought we had really good looks throughout the course of the game and we couldn't throw it in the ocean.
"We finally did enough to get the lead. I never felt like we shot the ball well the entire night."
BIG PICTURE
HBU: The Huskies suffered a 43-point loss at Indiana on Dec. 10, but were much more competitive against this Big Ten opponent. Still, Northwestern's talent and depth showed in the second half as HBU's double-digit lead became a double-digit deficit. Things could have been ugly if Northwestern shot better.
Northwestern: With the holidays and the Big Ten season fast approaching, it's not surprising that the Wildcats weren't at their best against HBU. How successful their season is will depend on how they play in conference. "To be 11-2 with the schedule we've played, I'm very pleased with the position we're in heading into the Big Ten," Collins said. "But like I told our guys, it's a new battle starting next Tuesday."
UP NEXT
HBU: The Huskies open Southland Conference play next Thursday at Sam Houston State.
Northwestern: The Wildcats begin their Big Ten schedule at Penn State on Tuesday.
How can I watch Houston Christian vs. Northwestern?
Recent Plays
| 2nd 0:00 | End of Game | 63 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Sanjay Lumpkin Defensive Rebound. | 63 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:00 | Braxton Bonds missed Three Point Jumper. | 63 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:10 | Scottie Lindsey made Free Throw. | 63 - 72 |
| 2nd 0:10 | Scottie Lindsey made Free Throw. | 63 - 71 |
Statistics
HCU |
NU |
|
|---|---|---|
| 22-54 | FG | 24-67 |
| 41 | Field Goal % | 36 |
| 2-14 | 3PT | 7-25 |
| 14 | Three Point % | 28 |
| 17-24 | FT | 17-27 |
| 71 | Free Throw % | 63 |
| 41 | Rebounds | 42 |
| 10 | Offensive Rebounds | 17 |
| 31 | Defensive Rebounds | 25 |
| 14 | Assists | 14 |
| 5 | Steals | 5 |
| 6 | Blocks | 6 |
| 15 | Turnovers | 10 |
| 1 | Team Turnovers | 0 |
| 15 | Total Turnovers | 10 |
| 0 | Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Total Technical Fouls | 0 |
| 0 | Flagrant Fouls | 0 |
| 9 | Points Off Turnovers | 14 |
| 10 | Fast Break Points | 4 |
| 30 | Points in Paint | 28 |
| 28 | Fouls | 17 |
| 12 | Largest Lead | 11 |
Game Information
Location: Evanston, IL
Capacity:
2025-26 Southland Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stephen F. Austin | 20-2 | - | 28-6 |
| McNeese | 19-3 | 1 | 28-6 |
| UT Rio Grande Valley | 14-8 | 6 | 19-14 |
| Texas A&M-Corpus Christi | 13-9 | 7 | 18-15 |
| LSU New Orleans | 12-10 | 8 | 15-18 |
| Nicholls | 12-10 | 8 | 14-19 |
| Houston Christian | 8-14 | 12 | 12-20 |
| Northwestern State | 8-14 | 12 | 10-22 |
| Incarnate Word | 7-15 | 13 | 12-19 |
| Lamar | 7-15 | 13 | 12-19 |
| East Texas A&M | 6-16 | 14 | 11-21 |
| SE Louisiana | 6-16 | 14 | 9-22 |
2025-26 Big Ten Conference Standings
| TEAM | CONF | GB | OVER |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michigan | 19-1 | - | 37-3 |
| Nebraska | 15-5 | 4 | 28-7 |
| Michigan State | 15-5 | 4 | 27-8 |
| Illinois | 15-5 | 4 | 28-9 |
| Wisconsin | 14-6 | 5 | 24-11 |
| Purdue | 13-7 | 6 | 30-9 |
| UCLA | 13-7 | 6 | 24-12 |
| Ohio State | 12-8 | 7 | 21-13 |
| Iowa | 10-10 | 9 | 24-13 |
| Indiana | 9-11 | 10 | 18-14 |
| Minnesota | 8-12 | 11 | 15-18 |
| USC | 7-13 | 12 | 18-14 |
| Washington | 7-13 | 12 | 16-17 |
| Rutgers | 6-14 | 13 | 14-20 |
| Northwestern | 5-15 | 14 | 15-19 |
| Oregon | 5-15 | 14 | 12-20 |
| Maryland | 4-16 | 15 | 12-21 |
| Penn State | 3-17 | 16 | 12-20 |


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