Box Score Box Score
Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team could not hold off a furious Concordia comeback as the Cru watched a 20-point second-half lead disappear in an 89-85 loss to the Tornados Monday in Belton. The loss drops UMHB's six-game winning streak and drops the Cru to 8-2 overall and 4-2 in American Southwest Conference play on the season. Concordia improves to 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the ASC on the year with the victory.
UMHB slowly pulled away in the first half and took a 41-28 halftime lead. The Cru continued to open up it early in the second half and led 57-37 with 15:26 remaining in the game. Concordia used an 8-0 run to cut the lead to 57-45, but UMHB quickly pushed it back to 15 points. The Tornados finally cut the lead to single digits at 64-55 with 11:45 left to play. UMHB would push it back to 11 points and still held a double-digit lead at 75-65 with 6:18 to go. Concordia would use a 13-5 run to close to within 80-78 with 3:49 on the clock and the Tornados took their first lead of the second half when Kenny Williams drained a three-pointer with 1:15 to play.
Sterling Phillips answered with a jumper at the other end to put UMHB on top 84-83, but Connor Davenport's free-throws gave the Tornados an 85-84 edge with 42 seconds remaining. UMHB missed a potential go-ahead shot on the next possession and Tayler Jacobs wrapped four free throws around a Phillips free throw to provide the final margin.
Phillips led the Cru with 20 points and he added five rebounds and three steals.
Marlon Miller added 19 points and seven rebounds for UMHB and
Greg Wiernas also reached double figures with 10 points for the Cru.
Cory Meals grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.
Josh Johnson led Concordia with 25 points and he added nine rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots before fouling out with 4:02 left. Jacobs added 18 points, Justin Reefer had 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds and Nick Haynes also reached double figures with 10 points for the Tornados.
UMHB shot 39 percent from the field, but just 1-9 of three-point range. The Cru hit 42-60 from the free-throw line while the Tornados were 29-38 from the stripe. CTX shot 31 percent from the field, but the Tornados were 10-29 from long-range. Concordia also out rebounded UMHB 53-46 with 29 of those boards coming on the offensive end. The Cru turned the ball over 22 times in the loss.
UMHB will continue its home stand with a pair of ASC cross-over games later this week. The Cru will take on University of the Ozarks in a 7:30 PM start on Thursday before facing U.T.-Dallas in a 3:00 PM tip-off on Saturday at the Mayborn Campus Center.
