BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team defeated Chapman University 88-81 in the first round of the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Championship Tournament Friday evening in Belton. The Cru improved to a record of 26-2 overall while the Panthers closed their season 22-5.
 
UMHB jumped to an early lead with the help of three steals, claiming a seven-point advantage at the 17:00 mark. The Panthers brought the contest within two with 9:06 remaining before the Cru used a 9-2 run led by Carson Hammond with five to bring the lead back up to nine. Wright hit a basket behind the arc at the 3:38 mark to give UMHB their biggest lead of the night at 13 ahead. The Panthers claimed the final basket of the half and the Cru went into the break up 44-34.
 
Chapman opened up the second half with a seven-point run to cut the gap down to three. At the 17:10 mark, Hammond hit a three-pointer to spark an eight-point run bring the advantage back up to ten. The Panthers continued to fight back, knotting-up the contest with a three-pointer with nine minutes remaining and took their first lead with free throws at the 8:47 mark. Chapman pulled-away sinking three shots behind the arc creating a lead of 11 with four minutes remaining. A big dunk by Luke Feely sparked a 12-point run for UMHB to reclaim a one-point lead. With 0:16 on the clock Hammond sunk a basket behind the arc to solidify the 88-81 victory for the Cru.
 
UMHB was led by Hammond with 23 points including five three-pointers. Josiah Johnson added 17 points while Ty Prince and Feely had 16 each. Prince finished the night claiming a double-double leading the Cru with 10 assists. UMHB caused 21 turnovers for the Panthers including 17 steals led by Johnson with five. Johnson also led the Cru in rebounds, claiming six boards while Prince and Feely each added five to UMHB's total 32.
 
UMHB continues action Saturday, March 4^th at 5:30 PM in the NCAA Second Round in a contest against Trinity University (TX) in Belton.