SPOKANE, Wash – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team earned another win in Spokane Wednesday evening, beating tournament-host Whitworth University 93-74. The win improved the Cru to 7-3 on the season while the Pirates fell to 5-5.
 
Josiah Johnson opened the game with a step-back jumper to put the Cru up by two. Whitworth tied the contest nine seconds later before hitting a three-pointer to take the lead at 18:02. The Pirates hit another three-pointer to take an 8-2 lead before Ty Prince hit back-to-back shots to cut the gap to two. Luke Feely evened the contest at 15:05 with a layup before Prince hit another shot to give the Cru its second lead of the game.
 
The Pirates tied the game again with the half playing back and forth until the final seconds. UMHB went into the final minute up by two points and held that advantage, going into halftime with a 44-42 lead. UMHB shot 63 percent in the first half with 17 field goals and 10 points from the bench.
 
UMHB opened the second half on a 9-3 run, led by Luke Feely with four points. The Pirates pulled within four but UMHB continued to score, extending the lead to 13 points at the 11:18 mark in the second half.
 
The Cru held advantage through the half, extending the lead to 20 points with 8:33 left to play. UMHB held advantage through the duration, cruising to a 93-74 win. UMHB shot 62.1 percent in the game off 36 field goals. UMHB brought down 26 rebounds in the contest with 15 assists, two blocks and nine steals.
 
Josiah Johnson led the Cru with 32 points, making nine field goals and going 11-for-11 in foul shots. Johnson added four rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win. Ty Prince added 24 points with eight rebounds and five assists while Luke Feely totaled 14 points and five rebounds. Kyle Wright was the other Crusader in double-digits, scoring 11 points with two assists and three steals.
 
The Cru returns to action on Thursday, December 29^th in a 1 p.m. non-conference match against Sul Ross State University in Belton.