SPOKANE, Wash. – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball earned a 92-90 victory Saturday night in Washington. This win takes the Cru to 4-3 on the season, while the Pirates fall to 4-1.
Whitworth got on the board first in the matchup, scoring two on free throws. Hudson Johnson answered for the Cru with a three, putting UMHB up 3-2 early in the game. The Pirates drove ahead 21-9, with Johnson putting up seven out of the nine for the Cru. UMHB then went on a 7-0 run, cutting into the Pirates' lead 22-18. Despite the Cru's efforts, Whitworth held the lead for the remainder of the half, going into halftime with a score of 45-32.
"What a great win and really good environment," Head Coach Sam Patterson said. "To challenge and compete with a team like Whitworth is an opportunity we don't take for granted. Love the fight of our players, especially when they face a little bit of adversity from not making many shots in the first half. Going 1-for-18 from three to end the first half, we knew we were due to hit a few more in the second half so we tried not to let that affect our mentality."
Hudson Johnson and Grant Jessen were the leading scorers for the Cru, adding nine points each. Jessen led in rebounds tallying six along with two steals.
Zach Engels opened the second frame with two free throws. The Cru rallied back with 13:42 remaining, knotting the match at 58 off a Grant Jessen free throw. After another free throw from Jessen, Hudson Johnson sunk a shot from beyond the arc to give UMHB a 62-58 lead. The Pirates added three more to knot it back up at 62, but UMHB continued with a nine-point run to earn a 71-62 deficit with 9:28 left to play. The Pirates pushed, but the Cru remained in the lead by at least seven through 2:23. Whitworth responded, cutting the Cru's lead to 90-87. Elijah Lawrence sealed the 92-90 win for the Cru draining two free throws in the last four seconds of the contest.
"I thought it was an all-around team effort," Patterson added. "Anytime you can beat a top-25 team on the road, it takes everybody. We had contributions from everyone who played to everyone who didn't get in the game. Our energy on the bench was great and we really fed off of that for our run in the second half."
Hudson Johnson was the leading scorer for the Cru with 25 points, followed by Elijah Lawrence who added 21. Three other Crusaders added double-digit points. Grant Jessen finished with a double-double, putting up 13 points and 11 rebounds.
"Thank you to all our family and fans who traveled to support us and all our fans who watched back home. I'm really glad we are coming home with two wins. This team is really fun to watch and they are worth supporting. We are going to enjoy this win tonight, get on a plane in the morning and start preparing for another top 25 road game on Tuesday."
UMHB returns to action in San Antonio on Tuesday, December 9th in a 7:00pm contest against Trinity.
