• by Travis Hendryx •
ABILENE, Texas- The Sul Ross men’s basketball team dropped an 82-72 American Southwest Conference decision Saturday to Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene.
Sophomore guard Tristen Licon led the effort with 18 points while B.J. Hollis collected nine rebounds.
Licon capped a 4-0 run to start the contest with a layup with 19:19 left in the first half.
Cole Avery then knocked down a three-pointer for a 7-3 Sul Ross lead at the 18:50 mark.
Hardin-Simmons tied the game at seven off a layup by Neal Chambliss. Following a missed Lobo three-pointer, Chambliss then converted another layup for a 9-7 lead for the home team at 17:05.
The Cowboys would hold the lead over the next two minutes before Jola Otubu banked from long range giving Sully a 13-12 advantage with 15:28 left before the half.
The Lobos would hold a tight lead until 13:08 when Joe Hoeup drained a triple returning the lead back to Hardin-Simmons by a 17-15 margin.
A three-point foul sent Avery to the line as the junior converted all three foul shots for an 18-17 Sul Ross lead at 12:51.
Sul Ross would go up by nine at the 5:17 mark as Hollis fired off a three-point basket for a 42-33 lead.
The Cowboys then took the reigns and ended the half on a 12-0 run for a 45-42 lead at intermission.
A layup by Conner Dawson 11 seconds into the second half pulled the Lobos to within one.
Hollis then scored on a layup giving Sully a 46-45 advantage at the 18:34 mark.
Hardin-Simmons stole the lead at 17:44 off a fast break layup by Keenan Holdman for a 47-46 Cowboy advantage.
The home squad would go on to lead by eight with just under 15 minutes left in the contest.
Avery then connected on a triple at 12:07 to tie the game at 60.
The Cowboys reclaimed the lead on the next possession and would hold a pair of seven-point advantages over the next three and a half minutes.
The Lobos were never able to recover the lead but pulled to within three off a three-pointer by Dawson at 4:45.
With under a minute remaining, Hardin-Simmons used a 5-0 run to put the Lobos away for good for the 82-72 win.
Hollis and Jack Kirkpatrick ended the game with 10 points each. Licon led the team with six assists.
The Lobos drop to 8-10 on the season and 3-6 in conference competition. The Cowboys improve to 11-8 and 7-4.
Sul Ross will host Concordia University to begin a five-game home stretch. Tip off is 7:30 p.m. on Thursday and will be streamed live on the Sul Ross Sports Network.