CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's basketball team dropped a road decision to University of the Ozarks Saturday afternoon in Clarksville. UMHB fell to 19-4 on the season and 11-3 in American Southwest Conference action while the Eagles improved to 9-14 overall and 5-9 in league play.
Ozarks open the contest with four points before Lauren Baker responded with a three-pointer for the Cru. The Eagles responded with an eight-point run before Ashley Faux ended it with a layup at 3:28. The remainder of the half played scoreless with Ozarks adding just one more basket for a 14-5 lead after the first frame.
Both teams exchanged baskets to open the second quarter before the Cru went on a 7-2 run to cut the lead to one possession. Ozarks used a layup and a free throw to go back up by six but a Meagan Johnson three-pointer at the 2:12 mark quickly answered for UMHB. The Eagles used a pair of free throws to take another five-point lead before UMHB closed the final 1:45 of action with a jumper from Jaycie Brisco, three-pointer from Lauren Baker and layup from Makayla Ward to take a 25-23 lead into halftime.
Baker led the Cru with six points in the first half while Brisco and Meagan Johnson each added five. Four different Crusaders led the team with three first-half rebounds while Katelen Brooks led with three assists and Baker added two steals.
Ozarks opened the third quarter with the equalizer and the frame played basket-for-basket with neither team leading by more than four points in the first five minutes. Jaycie Brisco made a layup for the Cru at 4:59 to put UMHB up by six points but the Eagles quickly responded, cutting the game to one-possession. UMHB held the lead until the 00:03 mark when Naomi Smith made a jumper to even the contest at 40 with one quarter to play.
The Eagles opened the fourth quarter with seven unanswered points before Arieona Rosborough made a layup with 7:41 to go. Ozarks held onto the lead but UMHB threatened, cutting the gap to just one point off a jumper from Rosborough at 3:01. Naomi Smith hit a pair of foul shots for a three-point Ozarks lead at 1:48 but Rosborough responded again, hitting a jumper with 51 seconds to play. Heaven Hayden answered for Ozarks, making a layup at 00:37 before Naomi Smith and Amanda Turpin put the game away with three throws, sealing the 58-53 win.
Rosborough led the Cru with 14 points while Jaycie Brisco added 11. UMHB shot 33.3 percent in the contest, making 22 field goals with four three-pointers. Brooks was the Cru's leading rebounder, bringing down six boards while also adding a team-high four assists. UMHB totaled 30 points in the paint with 10 second-chance points and 11 points from the bench.
UMHB returns to action on Thursday, February 15th in a 5:30 p.m. contest against McMurry University at the Mayborn Campus Center in Belton.
