BELTON, Texas – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball defeated Belhaven 117-80 Saturday afternoon in Belton. This win improved the Cru's record to 1-2, while Belhaven falls to 2-3 on the season.
The Cru opened the match up with an early 7-0 lead, highlighted by jumpers from Hudson Johnson and Zach May, with Elijah Lawrence following with a three-pointer. UMHB held the lead, scoring on the next three ensuing possessions. The Blazers added 14 points, but a jumper and two free throws from Cam Stinson pushed the Cru's lead to 28-14 halfway through the half. Grant Jessen gave UMHB more momentum with 2:35 left to play, sinking a dunk on a fast break to give the Cru a 20-point lead. Josiah Wray closed out half with a jumper, going into halftime with the Cru ahead 56-35.
Hudson Johnson led the Cru in the first half with 10 points and four assists. Zach Engels added nine rebounds and one block in the frame, while Grant Jessen tallied two steals.
Belhaven opened scoring in the second half, but Connor Zamiara responded with two layups, making it a 60-39 match. A pair of Blazer free throws cut the Cru's lead to 14, but a three from Donta Coady along with an and-one from Hudson Johnson lengthened the gap to 71-51 with 15:24 remaining. Coady added to the momentum with a three-pointer and a dunk on back-to-back possessions. The period continued with UMHB adding 24 points, holding the Blazers to seven, giving the Cru a 95-59 lead. The Cru sealed the victory at 117-80.
With this score, the Cru tied the program's second-most scoring total for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Donta Coady led the Cru with 16 points along with six rebounds. Zach Engels led in boards tallying 10, while Grant Jessen tallied three steals.
UMHB returns to action at home on Tuesday, November 25th in a 5:30pm matchup against Centenary College.
