HOUSTON – There was no quit in the McNeese Cowboys on Tuesday night.
 
Six different times the Cowboys fell behind by double-digits in an 82-73 loss to Houston Baptist in Southland Conference action, but this young team never threw in the towel and rallied every time, even tying the game up at 61-61 with 3:19 to play.
 
But reigning league player of the week Anthony Odunsi scored eight points in the final three minutes, including two three-point plays that helped keep the Cowboys at a distance to help seal the win for the Huskies.
 
The loss drops the Cowboys to 2-10 on the season and 0-2 in conference play while HBU improves to 7-7 overall and 2-0 in the league.
 
"We played better tonight but we just didn't get the job done down the stretch," said head coach Dave Simmons. "We got better tonight. I like this team. We had five guys in double-figures and I don't think that's happened in a while."
 
Jamaya Burr led the way with 17 points. Craig McFerrin notched his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Lance Potier added 12 points while Tevin Jackson and Jarren Greenwood each scored 10.
 
Odunsi led HBU with 22 points. Josh Ibarra added a double-double with 17 points and 10 boards and Alex Fountain scored 10 with eight rebounds.
 
Trailing by seven with 5:40 to play at 59-52, McFerrin scored on back-to-back layups and Burr made good on a three-point play following a Potier steal to tie the game at 59-59 with 3:55 to go. HBU got a big three-pointer by Fountain to snap a 61-all tie that led to five straight points for the Huskies.
 
The lead went to seven at 70-63 with 2:05 to play, McNeese rallied for five straight points behind a Burr free throw, McFerrin jumper and two Greenwood free throws to cut the margin to 70-68 with 1:03 to play.
 
Odunsi came back with another three-point play and HBU hit 10 of its final 11 free throws with under a minute to play to cap the win.
 
"Their guards did a great job there at the end," said Simmons of Odunsi and Fountain. "We're continuing to play better each game."
 
The Cowboys connected on 24 of 62 from the field for 39 percent including 13 of 29 for 45 percent in the second half. The Huskies shot 47.5 percent (29 of 61) for the game and was 15 of 31 for 48 percent in the second half.
 
McNeese hit 7 of 20 from long range while HBU connected on 5 of 14. Neither team shot a free throw in the first half but ended the game with 48 combined attempts – McNeese 18 of 22 and HBU 19 of 26.
 
The Huskies posted a 42-35 advantage in rebounds.
 
McNeese got out to a hot start scoring the game's first four points then led 11-9 after a Jackson layup with 16:12 to play. But then a 7:03 scoreless drought allowed HBU to score 10 straight and got up 19-11 with 9:49 to play in the half.
 
The Cowboys rallied back with eight straight points behind 3-pointers by Potier and James Harvey, then a one-handed putback dunk by Austin Lewis that tied the game at 19-19 with 7:35 to play.
 
McNeese led 25-24 with just over three minutes to play in the half and went scoreless the rest of the way as HBU scored seven straight to take a 32-25 lead into the half.
 
McNeese will return home for the first time since Dec. 16 when it hosts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Saturday in the second half of a double-header with the Cowgirls that begins at 1 p.m.