BELTON, Texas - The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team took an early lead on Hardin-Simmons University Thursday evening in Belton and did not let up, cruising to a 92-77 win over the Cowboys. The win improved the Cru to 11-4 on the season and 6-2 in American Southwest Conference while the Cowboys fell to 9-5 overall and 4-3 in league play.
 
UMHB opened the game on a 16-4 run, holding the Cowboys scoreless for 3:42. Hardin-Simmons cut the gap to seven but UMHB's offense responded, building another double-digit lead with 10:10 left in the first half. The Cru defense held the Cowboys scoreless for another 4:42 to take a 16-point lead. UMHB led by as many as 21 in the half, going into halftime up 46-27.
 
Luke Feely led the Cru with 12 points in the half while Kyle Wright and Josiah Johnson each added 10. UMHB shot 50 percent in the half with 18 points off the bench and 24 points in the paint. The Cru added 11 turnovers off seven steals, limiting the Cowboys to a 33.3 shooting percentage.  
 
The Cowboys fought back in the second half and cut the deficit to ten but the Cru held on for the 92-77 win. UMHB did not allow the Cowboys a lead in the contest, stifling them offensively with a 42.9 shooting percentage in the contest.
 
Luke Feely led the Cru with 24 points, followed by Josiah Johnson with 21. UMHB shot 56.3 percent in the contest with 46 points from the bench and 50 points in the paint. Feely led UMHB with seven rebounds while Ty Prince had a team-high eight assists. Josiah Johnson led the open-court game with five steals as UMHB forced 16 turnovers in the matchup.
 
UMHB continues the five-game home stand on Saturday, January 14^th in a 3 p.m. contest against McMurry University at the Mayborn Campus Center in Belton.
 
 
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