Box Score
Clarksville, AR – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team battled back to tie the game but could not overcome a game-winning buzzer beater in a 70-68 loss to University of the Ozarks Monday night in Clarksville, Arkansas. The loss drops the UMHB men to 1-2 overall and 0-2 in American Southwest Conference play. The Eagles improve to 3-3 overall and 2-0 in ASC play with the victory.
UMHB led by three points at halftime at 34-31 and opened the second half with an 8-1 run to stretch the lead to 10 points at 42-32. The Cru would hold a 49-40 lead with 12:19 remaining in the game before the Eagles started their comeback. Ozarks would take a 61-60 lead with 3:22 left in the game. Ozarks would lead 67-63 with 1:18 to go, but Rich Moore hit a pair of free throws to cut it to 67-65. Josh Odom hit the first of two free-throws but missed the second attempt and Dean Pele buried a three-pointer for UMHB to tie the game at 68 with 10 seconds left. Ozarks then drove down court before Andre Williams nailed a short jumper with .6 seconds showing to win the game for the Eagles. UMHB was unable to get off a shot as the buzzer sounded. The Cru had trailed by as many as nine points in the first half before battling back to take the halftime lead.
Pele had another huge night for the Cru, scoring 29 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Pele was 7-16 from three-point range and he added four assists and three steals. Moore had 11 points for UMHB and Theo Ard also grabbed 11 rebounds for the Cru. Blake Mitchem had 22 points and a game-high 12 rebounds to lead Ozarks. Colby Woolverton added 18 points for the Eagles and Williams had 13.
UMHB shot 45 per cent from the field and turned the ball over just eight times in the game. But the Cru was just 5-8 from the free-throw line compared the Eagles 20-24 night from the stripe. The Eagles shot 40 per cent from the field and went 18-22 from the free-throw line in the second half. UMHB was whistled for 20 personal fouls while Ozarks was only charged with 14 fouls.
The Cru will now return home to host a pair of ASC games later this week. The UMHB men will face LeTourneau University in a 7:30 PM start on Thursday night before taking on East Texas Baptist University in a 7:30 PM tip-off on Saturday. Both of those games will be played at the Mayborn Campus Center.
