ALPINE, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team used a late rally to earn a 69-64 win over Sul Ross State University Saturday afternoon in Alpine. The win improved the Cru to 5-5 on the season while the Lobos went to 6-5.  
 
Eli Beard opened the contest with a layup at the 19:18 mark as the Cru held the two-point margin until the Lobos tied it up with a layup at 17:20. Kyle Wright quickly regained the lead for the Cru, hitting a three-pointer at 17:02. Sul Ross State fought back with another layup and three-pointer to take its first lead of the game at the 16:09 mark. Beard tied it up for the Cru less than 15 seconds later but back-to-back three-pointers from Manny Flores put the Lobos with a six-point lead.
 
UMHB tied it again with a dunk from Jayce Todd but another Lobo three-pointer set them on the high ground once again. The Cru pulled within one before the Lobos constructed a 13-0 run to take a 29-15 lead with 5:55 left in the frame. Payton Brooks broke the drought with a layup at the 5:12 mark and UMHB continued to respond, cutting the gap to single-digits with 34 seconds to play. That score held through the half with the Cru trailing 39-31 after the first frame.
 
Zach Engels opened the second half with a pair of field goals before Eli Beard scored a layup. The Lobos held a multi-possession lead, going up by as many as 10 points in the opening of the second half. UMHB fought back, going on a 10-2 run highlighted by three-pointers from Wright and Beard to pull the game within two.  Beard hit his second consecutive three-pointer at the 9:39 mark to put UMHB on top, followed by another jumper from Wright for a three-point UMHB margin with 9:12 to play.
 
Sul Ross responded with a seven-point run but Ryan Pondant fought back with a layup and Josiah Johnson hit a three-pointer to put the Cru back on top. UMHB held the high ground with a three-point lead with 1:26 left to play. Tyler Jackson drained a pair of foul shots for the Lobos at 00:37 to pull the Lobos within one but perfect free-throw shooting from Ryan Pondant and Eli Beard sealed the 69-64 win for the Cru.
 
Beard led the Cru with 24 points, followed by Zach Engels with 11 and Kyle Wright with 10. Ryan Pondant led the Cru with 14 rebounds while Beard added six assists, followed by Wright with four. UMHB totaled six steals and two blocks in the contest, forcing the Lobos into 12 turnovers. The Cru totaled 30 points in the paint and 15 points off turnovers, adding 23 fast break points and 13 points off the bench.
 
UMHB returns to action on Tuesday, December 19^th in a 2 p.m. contest against Berry College at the Mayborn Campus Center in Belton.