3 observations: Houston defeats Christian Brothers

Houston protected its home floor Thursday night, defeating Christian Brothers, 68-66. Here are 3 observations from the win: Plenty of buckets over here It shouldn't come as a surprise that Houston is expected to be efficient offensively this season. In many games this season, the Mustangs will have, at least, four guys on the floor with the ability to score in double figures. That's balance. That's great news for the Houston, and bad news for opponents. Against the Purple Wave, the Mustangs had four players to score in double figures. Senior guard Kaleb Jeffries led Houston with 23 points. Senior forward Keron Jackson had 18. Sophomore wing Jordan Myles added 12. Sophomore point guard Justin Frison provided 10. These four prospects will need to score in double figures each game this season to give the Mustangs a great chance of winning close games like this one. Jeffries, who made the go-ahead 3-pointer in the waning seconds, is confident in the team's offensive firepower. “I feel like our offense is well,” Jeffries said. “The biggest thing is defense. I don't think we should worry about offense as much, because we got scorers. We all are going to score.” Defensive concerns? Jeffries was correct about Houston's offense. Scoring 68 points on most nights will be enough for the Mustangs to come away with wins. But, Houston needs to clean up some things on the defensive side. Christian Brothers had some great looks from 3 that were uncontested. In the first quarter, Gavin Jellow didn't have a hand in his face on a made 3 from the left wing. In the second quarter, Mike Richmond had more-than-enough time to set his feet and knock down a 3 in front of the Mustangs' bench to give the Purple Wave a 29-20 lead. Houston was caught sleeping on a handful of possessions where Christian Brothers got easy layups. It's early in the season, so the Mustangs have time to make tweaks. But, it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. Something good coming The Purple Wave's senior guard Carson Chandler is going to have a really productive season. Chandler led Christian Brothers with 25 points Thursday night. He got into a nice rhythm early in the first quarter, scoring 8 of the team's 17 points. Chandler made the game's first 3 of the night before making another one two and a half minutes later. He made the most of his opportunities at the free throw line, converting on 7 of 8 attempts. This is only the beginning for Chandler. It's safe to say he's going to be one of the top scorers this season in Division II-AA. Side note: Jeffries gave his performance Thursday evening a C-plus, citing, at times, he took some bad shots, but had to make up for it with a made 3 late in the fourth quarter that gave Houston a one-point lead after it seemed like the contest was over as the Purple Wave held a 61-55 lead with 2 minutes remaining in the game.

Houston protected its home floor Thursday night, defeating Christian Brothers, 68-66.

Here are 3 observations from the win:

Plenty of buckets over here

It shouldn't come as a surprise that Houston is expected to be efficient offensively this season. In many games this season, the Mustangs will have, at least, four guys on the floor with the ability to score in double figures. That's balance. That's great news for the Houston, and bad news for opponents. Against the Purple Wave, the Mustangs had four players to score in double figures.

Senior guard Kaleb Jeffries led Houston with 23 points. Senior forward Keron Jackson had 18. Sophomore wing Jordan Myles added 12. Sophomore point guard Justin Frison provided 10.

These four prospects will need to score in double figures each game this season to give the Mustangs a great chance of winning close games like this one.

Jeffries, who made the go-ahead 3-pointer in the waning seconds, is confident in the team's offensive firepower.

“I feel like our offense is well,” Jeffries said. “The biggest thing is defense. I don't think we should worry about offense as much, because we got scorers. We all are going to score.”

Defensive concerns?

Jeffries was correct about Houston's offense. Scoring 68 points on most nights will be enough for the Mustangs to come away with wins. But, Houston needs to clean up some things on the defensive side. Christian Brothers had some great looks from 3 that were uncontested. In the first quarter, Gavin Jellow didn't have a hand in his face on a made 3 from the left wing. In the second quarter, Mike Richmond had more-than-enough time to set his feet and knock down a 3 in front of the Mustangs' bench to give the Purple Wave a 29-20 lead.

Houston was caught sleeping on a handful of possessions where Christian Brothers got easy layups. It's early in the season, so the Mustangs have time to make tweaks. But, it needs to be addressed sooner rather than later.

Something good coming

The Purple Wave's senior guard Carson Chandler is going to have a really productive season. Chandler led Christian Brothers with 25 points Thursday night. He got into a nice rhythm early in the first quarter, scoring 8 of the team's 17 points. Chandler made the game's first 3 of the night before making another one two and a half minutes later. He made the most of his opportunities at the free throw line, converting on 7 of 8 attempts.

This is only the beginning for Chandler. It's safe to say he's going to be one of the top scorers this season in Division II-AA.

Side note: Jeffries gave his performance Thursday evening a C-plus, citing, at times, he took some bad shots, but had to make up for it with a made 3 late in the fourth quarter that gave Houston a one-point lead after it seemed like the contest was over as the Purple Wave held a 61-55 lead with 2 minutes remaining in the game.