BELTON, Texas – It was a division-champion showdown in the Mayborn Campus Center Friday evening as the reigning West Division champions, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor Men's Basketball, handed a 20-point loss to the reigning East Division and ASC champions University of the Ozarks.  The win improved the Cru to 3-0 on the season and opened them at 1-0 in American Southwest Conference action while the Eagles fell to 1-7 overall and 0-4 in league play.
 
UMHB opened the game on a 21-3 run, led by Josiah Johnson with six points and Sam Reaves with five. The Cru held a double-digit lead until the 10:19 mark when the Eagles cut it to eight. UMHB responded with eight unanswered points to take a 16-point lead and held advantage through the remainder of the half, leading 54-31 after the first half of action.
 
Ty Prince led UMHB with 17 points in the first half, followed by Reaves with nine. UMHB shot 54.3 percent in the first half and limited the Eagles to a 35.5 percent performance.
 
Ozarks pressed in the second half and cut the Cru's lead to 12 points but UMHB held, forcing three consecutive turnovers with just under three minutes left to go ahead by 21 points. The Cru cruised from there, ending the contest with an 87-67 decision.
 
Ty Prince led UMHB with a triple-double, scoring 22 points with 10 rebounds and 10 assists. Josiah Johnson was the other Crusader in double-digits, adding 16 points while Payton Brooks put up nine. Gibson Hearne brought down nine boards while Kyle Wright led UMHB with three steals and Prince added three blocks.
 
UMHB shot 43.1 percent in the contest, out-rebounding the Eagles 51-35 and forcing 67 turnovers.
 
UMHB returns to action on Thursday, December 9^th in a 7:30 p.m. contest at McMurry University in Abilene.