BELTON, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team defeated Belhaven University 86-73 on Thursday evening in Belton. The Cru improved to 21-2 overall and 16-2 in league play while the Blazers fell to 8-11 on the season and 5-10 in ASC play.
 
UMHB was the first on the board with a quick steal and three-pointer from Josiah Johnson. The contest continued in even play until the 18:01 mark when the Blazers used back-to-back seven-point runs to take a nine-point advantage. Coming out of the media timeout at the 11:24 mark, the Cru used a five-point run to knock to gap down to four. The Blazers kept pushing forward, expanding their lead to as big as ten at the 5:10 mark. UMHB answered with a five-point run followed by a four-point run to bring it within three points. Belhaven capitalized on free shots and a last second basket behind the arc to go into the break ahead 41-33.
 
The Cru came into the second half with a quick six-point run led Kyle Wright with four. At the 14:16 mark Luke Feely took the lead for UMHB with a basket off a steal from Gibson Hearne. The Cru continued on a six-point run to take the five-point advantage. The Blazers slowly fought back, bringing it to a knotted-up contest with 9:31 on the clock. UMHB answered with an 11-point run to retake the advantage at the 6:25 mark. The Cru kept pushing on expanding their lead to as large as 17 points with four minutes of action remaining. UMHB took advantage of free throws in the final minutes to end the night with the 86-73 victory.
 
Johnson led the Cru in scoring with 31 points while Feely added 22 to the board. Wright also played a large part for the UMHB offensively with 14 points and seven assists. The Cru was led in rebounds by Feely with eight while Johnson added six to the team's total 34.

UMHB returns to action on Saturday, February 19^th in a 3:00 P.M. contest against East Texas Baptist University in Belton.