HOUSTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team fell to University of St. Thomas Saturday evening in Houston. The loss dropped the Cru to 2-3 on the season while the Celts improved to 5-1.
 
UMHB jumped to an early 7-3 lead before the Celts started to fight back, taking a lead off a three-pointer at the 15:16 mark. That three-pointer sparked a 16-0 run for the Celts before the Cru finally got back on the board off a Hudson Johnson layup at 10:12. St. Thomas held the high ground, leading by double digits until the 6:49 mark when Elijah Lawrence cut the gap to eight with a layup. UMHB continued to press, pulling within six at 5:43 but the Celts extended the lead back to 10 at the end of the half.
 
St. Thomas used an 11-0 run early in the second half to go up 47-28, taking a 20-point margin at 16:00. That lead held until a three-pointer from Zach Engels at 7:24 sparked a 15-0 run for the Cru. UMHB hit three three-pointers in the run and pulled within seven. The Celts answered with a pair of foul shots before another three-pointer from Johnson pulled the Cru back within six. Back-to-back three-pointers from Johnson and Lawrence pulled the Cru within three before a pair of UST free throws put them back up by five.
 
Both teams exchanged layups before two more free throws put the Celts up 75-68 with 19 seconds to play. UMHB pressed but wasn't able to catch up, surrendering a 77-71 win to the Celts.
 
Engels led the Cru with 23 points, followed by Hudson Johnson with 17. Grant Jessen tallied a team-high five rebounds while Johnson added five assists and Engels had three steals.
 
UMHB returns to action on Thursday, December 4^th in a 6 p.m. contest at Whitman College in Washington.