By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications
AUSTIN – Year two of Huston-Tillotson University's
John A. Smith era of men's basketball got off to a good start Thursday as the Rams defeated the College of Biblical Studies–Houston 86-68.
At HT's Branch Gymnasium, four Ram players scored in double-figures to lead the home team to the victory in front of an enthusiastic opening-day audience.
Shannon Robinson turned in a double-double performance with 16 points and 10 rebounds, while
Cade Holzman contributed 16 points and eight rebounds off the HT bench.
Junior college transfer
Caleb Campbell scored 12 points for the Rams, while senior
Braelon Seals added 10 points.
Jaylen Streeter chipped in seven points, eight rebounds and four assists in his first game for Huston-Tillotson.
Omani Ozenne scored a game-high 18 points to lead three College of Biblical Studies players in double-figures.
KEY POINTS
Spurred on by their fans, the Rams seized early control of the game with 11 unanswered points between the 19:17 and 13:59 marks that gave HT a 13-3 lead. The visiting Ambassadors clawed their way back to a one-possession game midway through the half, but HT's fast-paced offense and stifling defense built the Ram lead back up to 12 points twice before halftime.
Trailing 47-35 after halftime, the Ambassadors outscored HT 11-3 over the first three minutes of the second half to close the margin to four points.
HT pulled away again with 14 consecutive points between the 15:00 and 10:12 marks of the second half. The Rams forced four turnovers during that stretch, which saw Robinson score six points and Holzman add four points.
Jadyn Gray's layup with 10:53 remaining stretch HT's lead to 68-50.
The Rams maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest, leading by as many as 21 points late in the half.
NOTEWORTHY
• The Rams forced 23 turnovers and enjoyed a 27-12 advantage in points off turnovers;
Ja'Patrick Blackmon recorded five steals.
• HT's up-tempo game produced 17 fast-break points and a 46-20 Ram advantage in points in the paint.
• Eleven different players scored for the Rams; HT's bench contributed 41 points in the game.
• Robinson played in his first game for the Rams since the 2023-24 season-opener.
• The College of Biblical Studies' head coach is Michael Young, who played for the Houston Cougars during their Phi Slama Jamma era alongside future NBA greats Clyde Drexler and Hakeem Olajuwon. The Ambassadors are in their third season as a National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) program.
– HT –
