AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's men's basketball team couldn't have asked for a better ending to their regular season.
After overcoming an 18-point, second-half deficit Thursday to defeat Texas A&M–Texarkana, the Rams controlled their own postseason destiny as they hosted Jarvis Christian for HT's Homecoming Saturday. With the winner of the game going to the Red River Athletic Conference tournament, the Rams prevailed 57-46 Saturday to continue their season.
In front of an enthusiastic sellout crowd at HT's Mary E. Branch Gymnasium,
Ja'Patrick Blackmon scored 11 points and
Blake Fisher added 10 points to lead the Rams (10-16, 10-14 RRAC) to victory.
Charles Hallmon chipped in nine points and nine points for the Rams.
Jamari Robertson scored a game-high 17 points for the Bulldogs (9-18), who finished conference play with a 9-15 record.
Saturday's Homecoming matchup featured two rivals heading in opposite directions in the conference standings. The Rams won their fourth consecutive game and sixth win in their last nine contests. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs, who had held the No. 8 spot in the RRAC standings for most of the spring, lost their last seven games of the season and went 4-11 during the 2025 portion of the season.
Jarvis Christian could have secured their spot in the postseason last week with a win over HT in Hawkins, Texas, but the Rams overcame a halftime deficit to win 69-66 in one of the RRAC's most hostile environments.
With a bigger and even more raucous crowd cheering them on, the Rams seized control of the game by scoring the first nine points of the second half to take a 35-26 lead. The Bulldogs closed the gap over the middle seven minutes of the second half, tying the score twice and cutting HT's lead to two points six times during that span.
But the ever-resilient Rams always had an answer for their guests and finally pulled away by scoring the game's last nine points over the final three minutes of the period.
Braelon Seals scored seven points for the Rams, followed by six points from
Jackson Byas. Senior guard
Jayce Wright handed out four assists and grabbed eight rebounds in addition to scoring two points.
In addition to honoring five seniors on Senior Day, head coach
John A. Smith also paid tribute to HT's Big State Conference championship teams from 1996 through 1998 at halftime of the game. HT's past, present, and future were then on hand to see Smith lead the team to the RRAC Tournament in his first season as a collegiate head coach.
The Rams now turn their attention to the RRAC Tournament, where they will face the regular-season conference champion LSU–Alexandria in Alexandria at the Rapides Parish Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:15 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 28.
– HT –
