Box Score Box Score
Belton, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team built double-digit leads in both halves, but the Cru could not put Sul Ross State away until the final seconds as UMHB posted a 75-70 victory over the Lobos Saturday afternoon in Belton. The Cru improves to 17-4 overall and 13-4 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops the Lobos to 8-13 overall and 7-10 in the ASC on the season.
UMHB would open up a 12-point lead early in the second half before the Lobos stormed back. Sul Ross would use an 18-4 run to take a 54-52 lead with 9:12 remaining in the game.
Mark Jones tied the game at 54 on a put-back and
James Allen added a pair of jumpers to give the Cru a 58-54 lead with 8:11 left to play. The lead would once again grow to ten points at 67-57 with 4:59 to go, but Sul Ross close to within one point on Travis Johnson's jump shot with 1:19 on the clock. Allen would hit three of four field goals to make it a 72-68 UMHB lead before Jimmy Martinez hit a shot with 21 seconds left to cut the lead to 72-70. The Cru would hold Sul Ross scoreless from there as Johnson missed a pair of shots and
Sterling Phillips hit three of four free-throws to clinch the victory. The Cru led by as many as 14 points in the first half before a late Sul Ross rally cut it to 38-31 at the break.
Robert Moore led UMHB with 22 points and seven rebounds as he hit 9-13 from the field.
Kitrick Bell came off the bench to add 12 points and seven boards and Allen finished with 11 points, five rebounds and four assists.
Bralyn Thomas came off the bench to lead the Lobos with 20 points and Johnson finished with 14 points. Martinez chipped in 13 and Dominic Countee had 10 points off the bench for Sul Ross.
The Cru shot 46 percent from the field and out rebounded Sul Ross 44-34. UMHB was just 2-13 from three-point range, but hit 19 free-throws. The Lobos were 8-20 from beyond the arc and 12-20 from the charity stripe.
The Cru will now hit the road for a pair of key ASC West Division games next week in Abilene. UMHB will open the week with a 7:30 PM tip-off at Hardin-Simmons University on Thursday. The Cru will close out the week with a 3:00 PM start at McMurry University next Saturday.
