Box Score
Abilene, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team trailed the entire game before rallying late, but the Cru's comeback bid fell just short in a 76-72 loss to Hardin-Simmons University Saturday in Abilene. The loss drops the UMHB men to 8-7 overall and 6-6 in American Southwest Conference play on the season. The Cowboys improve to 7-7 overall and 7-4 in the ASC with the victory.
UMHB tied the game at 2-2 in the early going, but Hardin-Simmons erupted for an 18-7 lead just 9:21 into the game. The Cowboys would still hold a double-digit lead at 23-12 with 8:03 left in the first half but UMHB started to chip away. The Cru would close to 35-32 before HSU score six of the final nine points of the half for a 41-35 lead at the break. The Cowboys held a seven-point lead for much of the second half before UMHB fought back to cut the gap to 64-63 on
Kevin Waller's bucket with 5:45 left in the game. The two teams kept trading baskets from there until HSU was able to build 74-69 lead with 15 seconds remaining.
Antonie Chaney's three-pointer pulled the Cru to within 74-72 with ten seconds left, but Charles Sams hit two free-throws to ice the victory for the Cowboys.
James Allen led UMHB with 18 points and he scored 14 of those in the second half.
Kitrick Bell added 15 points and Chaney had 13 more with both of those players coming off the bench. The Cru shot 45 percent from the field but hit just 63 percent from the free-throw line in the loss.
Sams led the Cowboys with 23 points as he hit six three-pointers in the game. Derrick Jefferson added 17 points and Mawen Maywin added 10 points and 14 rebounds. Jim Walter also had 14 boards as HSU held a slight 41-39 advantage on the glass. The Cowboys shot 36 percent from the field, but hit 12 three-pointers as a team in the win.
The Cru men will play road games at Howard Payne University and Sul Ross State University next weekend. UMHB will then return home to play six of its final eight regular season games at home at the Mayborn Campus Center.
