Shorthanded Cowboys take on Bearkats

{{tncms-inline alignment=”left” content=”<p><span>Cowboys at SHSU 6:30 p.m.</span></p>” id=”cd11f5f0-aeaa-485b-a932-b7e1a00dc4fd” style-type=”quote” title=”Pull Quote” type=”relcontent”}}

It was already going to be a challenge for the McNeese State men’s basketball team to travel to Huntsville, Texas, to take on the Southland Conference-leading Sam Houston State Bearkats at 6:30 p.m. today in Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum.

But now the Cowboys will have to do it without one of their most important bench players as first-year head coach Heath Schroyer said in a school news release that graduate transfer center Malik Hines will be leaving the program due to personal reasons.

{{tncms-inline account=”McNeeseSports” html=”<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Malik Hines to step away from MBB for personal reasons <a href="https://twitter.com/McNeeseMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@McNeeseMBB</a> <a href="https://t.co/prF1EDojrY">https://t.co/prF1EDojrY</a></p>— McNeese Athletics (@McNeeseSports) <a href="https://twitter.com/McNeeseSports/status/1092832474873450497?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 5, 2019</a></blockquote>” id=”1092832474873450497″ type=”twitter”}}

“Malik has been dealing with a lot of family issues at home and he is stepping away form the team for the remainder of the year to help deal with those issues,” Schroyer said in the statement. “Malik is a great young man and we wish he and his family nothing but the best moving forward.”

Schroyer declined to elaborate Tuesday during his weekly news conference.

No 6-foot-10, 255-pound Hines will be a major blow to the Cowboys’ frontcourt depth. As the season has advanced, Schroyer gradually shrunk his main rotation to about eight players. Hines was one of seven Cowboys who averaged more than 23 minutes per game. It’s more than likely that senior Adrian Brown (6-7, 211) will replace Hines as the backup post player.

When the season started, it seemed as if Hines would be the focal point of the offense. Those expectations were only magnified after he scored a season-high 26 in the season opener at St. Mary’s. But it’s been a slow decline since then, with Hines being taken out of the starting five in favor of a three-guard lineup. He finished the season playing all 21 games, making 11 starts and averaging 9.9 points and 4.7 rebounds.

But the games go on and the Cowboys have to make the trip to face an SHSU team (14-8 9-0) that has won 10 consecutive games.

“Obviously, right now, (we’re) playing the best team in the league,” Schroyer said. “They’re playing great. I think the thing that has been so impressive to me with them is their level of consistency.”

One thing that the Bearkats are not short on is experience; four of their five starters are seniors and three of those seniors are fifth-year seniors.

SHSU also has one of the best defenses in the SLC, having allowed a conference opponent to score more than 70 points once this season. They’re 34th in the nation in turnovers forced per game (16).

Cameron Delaney leads the team in scoring (12.5 points per game) and has hit the most 3-pointers on the team (46). The Bearkats have seven players who have hit 17 or more 3-pointers.

“Putting four guys on the perimeter that can all play off the ball screen,” Schroyer said about the biggest challenges SHSU present. “They can all make plays. Their guard play, I think, is really, really good. Defensively, I think they’re a juggernaut. They’re the best defensive team in our league. A lot of that has to go with the physicality of their guards.”

In the series, McNeese has lost three straight. The last win over the Bearkats was on Jan. 16, 2016, when the Cowboys won at Burton Coliseum 72-68.

Cowboys at SHSU 6:30 p.m.

””

Malik Hines, now leaving the Cowboys for personal reasons, goes strong to the basket and is fouled by Lamar’s Edwin Jeudy at McNeese H&HP Complex in Lake Charles, Louisiana on Saturday, February 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Lake Charles American Press, Kirk Meche)

Kirk Meche

    8e381db6-3414-5d5f-810a-51d0b35145db2019-04-19T05:00:00Zzsystem/importBC-BKN–NBA Daily Playoff GlancePlayoff Schedule

    FIRST ROUND

    (Best-of-7; x-if necessary)

    Saturday, April 13

    Brooklyn 111, Philadelphia 102

    Orlando 104, Toronto 101

    Golden State 121, L.A. Clippers 104

    San Antonio 101, Denver 96

    Sunday, April 14

    Boston 84, Indiana 74

    Portland 104, Oklahoma City 99

    Milwaukee 121, Detroit 86

    Houston 122, Utah 90

    Monday, April 15

    Philadelphia 145, Brooklyn 123

    L.A. Clippers 135, Golden State 131, series tied 1-1

    Tuesday, April 16

    Toronto 111, Orlando 82, series tied 1-1

    Denver 114, San Antonio 105, series tied 1-1

    Portland 114, Oklahoma City 94, Portland leads series 2-0

    Wednesday, April 17

    Boston 99, Indiana 91, Boston leads series 2-0

    Milwaukee 120, Detroit 99, Milwaukee leads series 2-0

    Houston 118, Utah 98, Houston leads series 2-0

    Thursday, April 18

    Philadelphia 131, Brooklyn 115, Philadelphia leads series 2-1

    Denver at San Antonio, late

    Golden State at L.A. Clippers, late

    Friday, April 19

    Toronto at Orlando, 6 p.m.

    Boston at Indiana, 7:30 p.m.

    Portland at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m.

    Saturday, April 20

    Philadelphia at Brooklyn, 2 p.m.

    Denver at San Antonio, 4:30 p.m.

    Milwaukee at Detroit, 7 p.m.

    Houston at Utah, 9:30 p.m.

    Sunday, April 21

    Boston at Indiana, noon

    Golden State at L.A. Clippers, 2:30 p.m.

    Toronto at Orlando, 6 p.m.

    Portland at Oklahoma City, 8:30 p.m.

    Monday, April 22

    Milwaukee at Detroit, 7 p.m.

    Houston at Utah, 9:30 p.m.

    Tuesday, April 23

    Orlando at Toronto, 5 or 6 p.m.

    Brooklyn at Philadelphia, 7 or 7:30 p.m.

    San Antonio at Denver, 8, 8:30 or 9:30 p.m.

    x-Oklahoma City at Portland, 9:30 p.m.

    Wednesday, April 24

    x-Indiana at Boston, 6 or 7 p.m.

    x-Utah at Houston, 7 or 7:30 p.m.

    x-Detroit at Milwaukee, 7, 7:30 or 8:30 p.m.

    L.A. Clippers at Golden State, 8 or 9:30 p.m.

    Thursday, April 25

    x-Toronto at Orlando, TBA

    x-Philadelphia at Brooklyn, TBA

    x-Denver at San Antonio, TBA

    x-Portland at Oklahoma City, TBA

    Friday, April 26

    x-Milwaukee at Detroit, TBA

    x-Boston at Indiana, TBA

    x-Golden State at L.A. Clippers, TBA

    x-Houston at Utah, TBA

    Saturday, April 27

    x-Orlando at Toronto, TBA

    x-Brooklyn at Philadelphia, TBA

    x-Oklahoma City at Portland, TBA

    x-San Antonio at Denver, TBA

    Sunday, April 28

    Detroit at Milwaukee, TBA

    x-Indiana at Boston, TBA

    x-L.A. Clippers at Golden State, TBA

    x-Utah at Houston, TBA

    Thursday’s Games

    76ers 131, Nets 115

    PHILADELPHIA (131)

    Butler 6-13 4-4 16, T.Harris 11-19 1-1 29, Monroe 4-13 1-2 9, B.Simmons 11-13 9-11 31, Redick 7-17 7-9 26, Ennis III 2-5 0-0 4, Bolden 0-0 0-0 0, Scott 0-4 0-0 0, Marjanovic 3-5 8-8 14, McConnell 0-1 0-0 0, J.Simmons 1-1 0-0 2, Korkmaz 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 45-93 30-35 131.

    BROOKLYN (115)

    Carroll 2-8 0-0 6, Kurucs 1-5 1-2 3, Allen 4-5 7-9 15, Russell 12-26 0-0 26, J.Harris 2-7 4-4 8, Hollis-Jefferson 2-7 10-13 14, Graham 0-1 0-0 0, Dudley 0-2 0-0 0, Davis 1-2 0-0 2, Dinwiddie 5-13 4-4 15, Napier 0-0 0-0 0, Pinson 0-2 0-0 0, LeVert 10-17 3-3 26. Totals 39-95 29-35 115.

    Philadelphia 32 33 32 34—131

    Brooklyn 24 35 31 25—115

    3-Point Goals—Philadelphia 11-27 (T.Harris 6-6, Redick 5-9, Marjanovic 0-1, Korkmaz 0-1, Butler 0-3, Ennis III 0-3, Scott 0-4), Brooklyn 8-39 (LeVert 3-8, Carroll 2-6, Russell 2-9, Dinwiddie 1-4, Graham 0-1, Pinson 0-2, Dudley 0-2, Kurucs 0-3, J.Harris 0-4). Fouled Out—Marjanovic. Rebounds-Philadelphia 54 (T.Harris 16), Brooklyn 43 (LeVert 7). Assists—Philadelphia 26 (B.Simmons 9), Brooklyn 12 (Russell, Hollis-Jefferson 3). Total Fouls—Philadelphia 29, Brooklyn 24. Technicals—B.Simmons, Dinwiddie, Brooklyn coach Kenny Atkinson, Hollis-Jefferson. A—17,732 (17,732).

    Wednesday’s Late Games

    Jazz 118, Rockets 98

    UTAH (98)

    Ingles 3-8 0-0 7, Favors 7-11 0-0 14, Gobert 3-6 5-7 11, Rubio 7-17 2-2 17, Mitchell 5-19 0-2 11, Sefolosha 0-3 0-0 0, Crowder 2-9 0-0 5, O’Neale 7-10 0-0 17, Niang 2-4 0-0 5, Udoh 0-1 0-0 0, Neto 1-3 0-0 2, Allen 2-5 5-7 9, Korver 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 39-98 12-18 98.

    HOUSTON (118)

    Gordon 6-11 1-1 16, Tucker 5-8 2-2 16, Capela 3-4 1-3 7, Paul 5-11 6-6 17, Harden 11-24 4-5 32, Faried 2-3 3-4 7, Clark 0-0 0-0 0, Hartenstein 2-2 0-0 4, House Jr. 2-6 3-4 8, Green 0-2 3-3 3, Rivers 2-8 2-2 8, Shumpert 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 38-80 25-30 118.

    Utah 19 25 23 31—98

    Houston 39 31 25 23—118

    3-Point Goals—Utah 8-38 (O’Neale 3-6, Niang 1-2, Rubio 1-3, Ingles 1-6, Crowder 1-6, Mitchell 1-8, Sefolosha 0-1, Korver 0-1, Favors 0-2, Allen 0-3), Houston 17-42 (Harden 6-13, Tucker 4-7, Gordon 3-6, Rivers 2-4, House Jr. 1-5, Paul 1-6, Green 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Utah 48 (Gobert, Favors 12), Houston 46 (Harden 13). Assists—Utah 27 (Rubio 9), Houston 17 (Harden 10). Total Fouls—Utah 26, Houston 18. A—18,055 (18,500).

    Bucks 120, Pistons 99

    DETROIT (99)

    Kennard 6-13 3-3 19, Maker 2-9 2-2 6, Drummond 8-15 2-4 18, Jackson 7-16 3-4 18, Ellington 3-10 0-0 8, B.Brown 2-4 0-0 5, Smith 3-13 1-2 7, Calderon 0-0 0-0 0, Galloway 3-7 0-0 9, Robinson III 3-10 2-2 9, Thomas 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 37-99 13-17 99.

    MILWAUKEE (120)

    Middleton 7-15 8-8 24, Antetokounmpo 11-18 3-5 26, Lopez 3-8 1-2 8, Bledsoe 11-19 2-3 27, S.Brown 3-5 1-3 8, Wilson 0-0 0-0 0, Ilyasova 1-3 0-0 3, Mirotic 1-5 0-0 2, Hill 2-7 0-0 4, Frazier 0-0 0-0 0, Connaughton 8-10 0-0 18. Totals 47-90 15-21 120.

    Detroit 27 32 17 23—99

    Milwaukee 38 20 35 27—120

    3-Point Goals—Detroit 12-36 (Kennard 4-6, Galloway 3-5, Ellington 2-7, B.Brown 1-1, Jackson 1-3, Robinson III 1-6, Thomas 0-1, Drummond 0-1, Maker 0-3, Smith 0-3), Milwaukee 11-26 (Bledsoe 3-8, Connaughton 2-3, Middleton 2-6, Ilyasova 1-1, S.Brown 1-1, Lopez 1-3, Antetokounmpo 1-3, Mirotic 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Detroit 43 (Drummond 16), Milwaukee 54 (Antetokounmpo 12). Assists—Detroit 23 (Jackson 8), Milwaukee 32 (Middleton 8). Total Fouls—Detroit 21, Milwaukee 21. Technicals—Griffin, Milwaukee coach Bucks (Defensive three second). A—17,513 (17,500).

    Playoffs Leaders

    Through April 17

    Scoring

    G FG FT PTS AVG

    Curry, GOL 2 19 16 67 33.5

    Leonard, TOR 2 25 5 62 31.0

    Harden, HOU 2 22 7 61 30.5

    Williams, LAC 2 24 10 61 30.5

    Lillard, POR 2 19 12 59 29.5

    Irving, BOS 2 21 7 57 28.5

    McCollum, POR 2 21 9 57 28.5

    George, OKC 2 19 9 53 26.5

    Harrell, LAC 2 20 11 51 25.5

    Anttknmpo, MIL 2 20 8 50 25.0

    DeRozan, SAN 2 17 15 49 24.5

    Embiid, PHL 2 13 19 45 22.5

    Durant, GOL 2 13 17 44 22.0

    Butler, PHL 2 14 14 43 21.5

    Harris, DEN 2 17 5 43 21.5

    Siakam, TOR 2 20 3 43 21.5

    Bledsoe, MIL 2 16 5 42 21.0

    Russell, BRO 2 16 5 42 21.0

    Murray, DEN 2 16 7 41 20.5

    Tatum, BOS 2 17 1 41 20.5

    FG Percentage

    FG FGA PCT

    Looney, GOL 9 10 .900

    Harrell, LAC 20 24 .833

    Connaughton, MIL 12 16 .750

    Noel, OKC 8 11 .727

    Gobert, UTA 11 16 .688

    Adams, OKC 15 22 .682

    White, SAN 14 21 .667

    Capela, HOU 11 17 .647

    Favors, UTA 12 19 .632

    Leonard, TOR 25 40 .625

    Rebounds

    G OFF DEF TOT AVG

    Anttknmpo, MIL 2 5 24 29 14.5

    Drummond, DET 2 6 22 28 14.0

    Jokic, DEN 2 6 21 27 13.5

    Embiid, PHL 2 7 18 25 12.5

    Gobert, UTA 2 11 13 24 12.0

    Kanter, POR 2 7 16 23 11.5

    Capela, HOU 2 5 17 22 11.0

    Harden, HOU 2 4 17 21 10.5

    Horford, BOS 2 1 20 21 10.5

    DeRozan, SAN 2 4 15 19 9.5

    Assists

    G AST AVG

    Jokic, DEN 2 22 11.0

    Westbrook, OKC 2 21 10.5

    Harden, HOU 2 20 10.0

    Williams, LAC 2 20 10.0

    Green, GOL 2 16 8.0

    Lowry, TOR 2 15 7.5

    Rubio, UTA 2 15 7.5

    Simmons, PHL 2 15 7.5

    Irving, BOS 2 14 7.0

    Curry, GOL 2 13 6.5

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