ABILENE, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's basketball team finished as the American Southwest Conference Runners Up after an 84-74 loss to Hardin-Simmons University Saturday afternoon in Abilene.
Hardin-Simmons opened the game with seven unanswered points before the Cru responded with a three-pointer from Alexis Carmosino. Savannah Bennett added a jumper for the Cowgirls at 7:11 but Lauren Baker answered with a jumper to keep the lead at one possession. Remi Adeleke followed that with a layup to cut the gap to two but the Cowgirls answered with four more points for a 13-7 lead. Hardin-Simmons continued to press, going ahead by as many as nine in the frame and heading into the second quarter with a 25-18 lead.
The Cowgirls opened the second half with four more points before Alexis Carmosino got the Cru on the scoreboard with a jumper at 8:20. HSU continued to press, taking an 18-point lead at 5:18. The Cowgirls held on to a substantial margin through the quarter but UMHB fought back late, outscoring the Cowgirls 5-1 in the final two minutes to trail 42-32 at the half.
Baker led the Cru with eight points while Brisco added five. Carmosino was the Cru's leading rebounder in the first frame with seven, followed by Arieona Rosborough with six.
Both teams continued scoring in the third quarter but the Cowgirls did not let up offensively, going ahead 51-38 with 6:19 to play. The game continued in a double-digit Cowgirl margin until the 8:56 mark of the fourth quarter when a Lauren Baker layup cut the gap to nine. Hardin-Simmons responded but the Cru kept pushing, keeping the game within 12 and cutting the gap to six off a Jaycie Brisco three-pointer with 2:52 to play.
Parris Parmer responded with a three-pointer for the Cowgirls before Carmosino netted a pair of foul shots for the Cru. Hardin-Simmons added two more free throws at 00:57 and another pair at 00:46 to lead 80-69. Makayla Ward made a three-pointer at 00:32 to cut the line to just eight but the Cowgirls held on, winning the title game 84-74.
Rosborough finished the game with 18 points while Lauren Baker added 12. UMHB shot 31.3 percent in the contest with 13 fast break points and 42 points in the paint. Rosborough also led the Cru with nine rebounds, followed by Alexis Carmosino and Ashley Faux with eight each. Rosborough and Remi Adeleke each led the Cru with four steals while Baker had a team-high three assists.
Arieona Rosborough and Lauren Baker earned All-ASC Tournament honors for the Cru. Hardin-Simmons (24-3) earned the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. The Cru (21-6) has a chance at an at-large bid to the tournament and will await its fate in the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, February 26th at 1:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
