Box Score Box Score
Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team stormed back from a double-digit second-half deficit and then held on down the stretch as McMurry missed a chance to tie the game in the final second in a 66-64 Cru victory Saturday afternoon in Belton. The UMHB men improve to 14-3 overall and 10-3 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops McMurry to 10-6 overall and 8-4 in the ASC on the season. The Cru will hold on to sole possession of first place in the ASC West Division, stretching its lead over McMurry and Hardin-Simmons to a game and a half.
McMurry controlled the first half, opening the game with a 9-2 run. UMHB would not lead in the first half as McMurry opened up an 11-point advantage on several occasions. The Cru did chip away and trailed 34-27 at halftime. McMurry would take the lead back to double digits at 40-30 with 15:37 remaining in the game. UMHB then exploded for a 20-6 run, taking its first lead of the game at 44-43 with 10:15 left and eventually going up 50-46 with 9:08 left to play. McMurry fought back to tie the game at 50, but UMHB scored four straight before McMurry answered with a 4-0 run of its own to tie the game at 54.
Robert Moore would hit a three and then add a jumper following a
Marlon Miller lay-in to make it a 61-54 UMHB lead with 3:41 on the clock. McMurry closed to within one at 63-62 with 1:25 to go before
Dean Pele buried a pair of free-throws with 36 seconds on the clock to put the Cru up 65-62. A Teddy Chambers lay-in would make it 65-64 with nine seconds left and Miller hit just one of two free-throws at the other end. McMurry would take a timeout with 2.2 seconds left to set up a final play. Chambers broke open for a potential game-tying lay-in, but missed the shot and was fouled. He then missed the first free-throw and McMurry was called for a lane violation on the second. UMHB ran out the final second to clinch the victory.
Moore led the Cru with 20 points and he also grabbed eight rebounds. Miller added 19 points and six boards for UMHB.
Greg Wiernas pulled down a team-best nine rebounds for the Cru.
Steven Jones led McMurry with 19 points and 12 rebounds and Chambers added 15 points. Steven Johunkin also reached double figures in rebounds with 10 for McMurry. Jaden Isler added eight points and seven assists.
UMHB shot 39 percent from the field and McMurry hit 40 percent. The Cru was just 1-10 from three-point range, but hit 17-20 from the free-throw line. McMurry was 5-17 from long-range and 9-13 from the charity stripe.
The Cru will now hit the road for a pair of ASC West Division games next week. The UMHB men will open the week with a 7:30 PM tip-off at Howard Payne next Thursday in Brownwood. The Cru men will close out the week with a 3:00 PM start at Sul Ross State University next Saturday in Alpine.
