By Alan Wiederhold
HT Athletic Communications
AUSTIN – Huston-Tillotson University's seven men's basketball seniors gave the school's Homecoming Crowd a memorable game Saturday in the team's regular-season home finale, defeating Paul Quinn 95-92 in overtime.
In front of the largest crowd of the season at HT's Branch Gymnasium, four Rams scored in double-figures as HT avenged their December loss at Paul Quinn in Dallas. Caleb Campbell led the Rams with 18 points, followed by 17 points and eight rebounds from HT graduate student Blake Fisher, one of the seven senior honorees.
Senior post Cade Holzman scored 15 points and blocked six shots in addition to pulling in eight rebounds for the Rams (7-12, 2-9 HBCUAC). Sophomore forward Shannon Robinson came off the HT bench and recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
HT seniors Kemondreon Cansler and Isaiah Halliburton scored eight points apiece for the Rams. T.J. Mitchell scored a game-high 19 points to lead five Paul Quinn players in double-figures.
The Rams took a 46-33 lead into halftime and led by as many as 17 points early in the second half. The visiting Tigers kept chipping away at the lead, setting up a furious finish to regulation play.
Nikolas Morin's layup off an assist from Halliburton gave the Rams a 79-75 lead with 1:18 remaining in regulation. The teams exchanged turnovers before Paul Quinn's Deon McLaughlin made a layup while getting fouled with 42 seconds left on the clock. McLaughlin hit the free throw to pull the Tigers to within one point of HT's lead.
The Tigers then fouled Fisher, who hit one of two free throws to put HT's lead to 80-78. The Tigers then got two offensive rebounds following missed shots before Isaiah McCallum was fouled, who then knocked down two free throws to tie the game with 16 seconds left in regulation. The Rams were unsuccessful on their final shot of the period.
In overtime, Paul Quinn used the "Hack-a-Shaq" defense on HT center Cansler, who entered the game only shooting 25 percent (9 of 36) from the free throw line. The ploy seemed to work, as Cansler shot 4-of-10 from the stripe in the overtime period, but his two made free throws with 2:34 left in the game reclaimed the lead for the Rams in a back-and-forth period, and swung momentum back to the home team.
After a 3-pointer from Jordan Hicks gave Paul Quinn an 87-84 lead with 2:21 left in the extra frame, Robinson found Cansler for a dunk that again tied the game for the Rams. Following a missed Paul Quinn shot, a fast-break layup from Morin ignited a 6-2 HT run that the Rams used to finally pull away from their guests.
The Rams also honored seniors Braelon Seals, Jadyn Gray, Kameron Hedge, and manager Kamel Gibbs on Saturday.
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NEXT UP:
The Rams conclude the 2025-26 regular season in Marshall, Texas, on Tuesday when they visit Wiley. The game was originally scheduled for January 24, but was postponed due to the January ice storms that hit Texas and most of the U.S. Tipoff is scheduled for 5 p.m.
– HT –
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