BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with an 84-71 win over the University of Wisconsin-Stout Friday evening in Bloomington.
 
UW-Stout opened the game with six unanswered points and held a lead until the Cru came roaring back, pulling within two off a three-pointer from Maurice Pinnock and evening the contest with an LD Butler layup. Connor Zamiara gave the Cru its first lead of the game with another layup at the 14:09 mark before the Blue Devils tied the game at 10.
 
Kyle Wright responded with a pair of three-pointers and a free throw, putting UMHB up by seven with 11:17 to go in the first frame. UW-Stout pulled the half within four points but UMHB's offense continued to produce, taking a double-digit lead with 6:12 to go.
 
Pinnock led the Cru with 11 first-half points, adding three assists and two steals. Eli Beard totaled eight points while Kyle Wright added seven. UMHB shot 41 percent in the first half, going 7-for-18 from beyond the arc with 12 defensive rebounds.
 
UW-Stout cut the lead to just six points early in the second half but a pair of jumpers from Josiah Johnston extended the gap to double-digits again. The Cru maintained at least a seven-point lead for the duration of the frame, going up by as many as 18 points in the 84-71 win.
 
Johnson led the Cru with 22 points and nine rebounds. Maurice Pinnock added 19 points in his UMHB debut while Eli Beard tallied 12 in his first game as a Crusader. UMHB shot 39.3 percent in the contest with 33 field goals and 10 three-pointers. Payton Brooks, Zachary Engels and LD Butler each added six boards while Pinnock had a team-high three assists and Johnson added five steals.
 
UMHB advances to the championship game of the tournament and will play tournament-host Illinois Wesleyan University on Saturday, November 11^th at 5 p.m. in Bloomington.