Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's basketball team could not overcome a pair of empty possessions late in the game as the Cru fell to Howard Payne 63-59 Thursday night in Belton. The loss snaps UMHB's three-game winning streak and drops the Cru to 7-9 overall and 3-4 in American Southwest Conference play. HPU improves to 9-8 overall and 4-3 in the ASC with the win and takes over first place in the ASC West Division.

UMHB opened up a six-point first quarter lead but could not hold it as Howard Payne battled back to tie it before Haven Neal's short jumper made it 17-15 Cru at the end of the first quarter. The two teams traded leads in the second quarter before the Lady Jackets used a late run to take a 32-26 lead at halftime. The Lady Jackets stretched it out to as many as nine points in the third quarter and led 47-40 after three. UMHB clawed back behind back-to-back three-point plays and led 57-53 with 4:34 remaining. Howard Payne scored five straight points to grab a 58-57 lead before Kendra Wynn and Ashley Caldwell traded baskets to make it 60-59 HPU with 1:02 to play. The Cru turned the ball over on its next possession and missed a potential game-tying three-pointer as the Lady Jackets iced the game at the free-throw line.

Jonelle Smith led the Cru with 18 points. Wynn added a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards and Haven Neal added a season-high 10 points off the bench. UMHB shot 35 percent from the field as a team and went just 2-16 from three-point range.

Danyel Bradley topped HPU with 20 points and Micah Cisneroz had 16 more off the bench. Presley McKethan scored 10 points and Caldwell finished with 10 rebounds, seven points and seven blocked shots. HPU shot 37 percent from the field, hit 6-24 from beyond the arc and out rebounded UMHB 47-41 in the contest.

The Cru will close out its four-game home stand with a 1:00 PM tip-off against Sul Ross State on Saturday. UMHB will then hit the road for games at Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University next week in Abilene.