ABILENE, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor ended its 2023-24 season in the NCAA Division III First Round Friday night in Abilene.
UMHB jumped to an early 4-0 lead in the first quarter before Kylie Minter responded for the Tigers, putting Trinity ahead by one. Ashley Faux quickly answered with a three-pointer for the Cru but Minter answered again to put the Tigers back on top. The quarter saw three tied scores from there with Trinity holding a 20-19 lead headed to the second.
Alexis Carmosino opened the second frame with a jumper to put the Cru ahead but Trinity responded again for their first lead of the frame. The second quarter played back-and-forth within one possession, closing the first half with a 34-34 knot.
The third quarter opened with four consecutive three-pointers to knot the game at 40 with 8:42 to play in the frame. Jaycie Brisco made a layup at 7:56, followed by a layup from Arieona Rosborough at 7:35 for a 44-40 UMHB lead. The Cru held that margin, going ahead by as many as seven in the first five minutes of the quarter. UMHB extended the lead to 11 with a layup from Lauren Baker at 4:28 and went up by 13 off a layup from Josie Bruder at 4:07. The Tigers broke the nine-point run with a jumper at 3:37. A trio of free throws from Jamie Reude pulled the Tigers within eight as the Tigers closed the quarter on a 12-2 run.
UMHB fought back early in the fourth, going back ahead by six before the Tigers went on a 7-0 run to take a 67-66 lead at the 7:15 mark. The game played scoreless until the 4:38 mark when Bailey Timmons hit a three-pointer for a 70-66 Trinity lead. Jaycie Brisco and Arieona Rosborough pulled the game within one with clutch free throws before Minter hit another three-pointer to extend the Tiger gap to four. Both teams pressed from there but neither was able to score for more than two minutes until Minter finally added a pair of free throws for the Tigers. UMHB closed the gap with a layup from Brisco but was unable to overcome the deficit, falling 75-71 to Trinity.
Arieona Rosborough finished with a team-high 19 points while Jaycie Brisco added 17 and Josie Bruder put up 11. UMHB shot 38.4 percent in the contest, scoring 25 second-chance points with 24 points off the bench. The Cru added 42 points in the paint with 22 points off turnovers and 12 fast break points.
Brisco led the Cru with 12 rebounds while Rosborough added 11. Rosborough also led the Cru with four steals and three assists.
UMHB ends the 2023-24 season with a 21-7 overall record under first-year head coach Katie Novak Lenoir. The Cru advanced to the title game of the American Southwest Conference and made its fourth NCAA appearance. Trinity will advance to face the winner of Hardin-Simmons University and Occidental on Saturday, March 2nd.
