BROWNWOOD, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor cruised to a 20-point win over Howard Payne University Saturday in Brownwood. The win improved the Cru to 15-6 on the season and 2-0 in American Southwest Conference action while the Yellow Jackets fell to 12-9 overall and 0-2 in league action.
 
The game played closely until the Cru used an 11-1 run to gain some distance, taking a 17-10 lead. UMHB held the high ground by at least four, extending the gap to double digits at 10:44. Howard Payne used a five-point run to cut the gap and kept the lead in singles until 5:06 when Johnson made a layup for another 10-point lead. The Yellow Jackets dwindled the margin down to two with 1:06 to play in the half.
 
Donta Coady hit a three-pointer at 00:52 for a five-point lead. UMHB allowed HPU just one more layup in the final 52 seconds, taking a 52-49 lead into halftime.
 
Connor Zamiara led the Cru with 10 points in the first half, followed by Hudson Johnson and Elijah Lawrence with eight each. UMHB shot 54.1 percent in the half, bringing down 18 rebounds with 11 assists and seven steals.
 
The second half toggled in one-possession play until Coady hit a three-pointer at 15:57 to put the Cru up by five. Howard Payne cut that lead back down to two but UMHB remained on top, extending the lead to 10 off an Elijah Lawrence layup at 11:16. UMHB cruised from there, taking a 20-point lead with 4:10 to go en route to a 110-90 victory.
 
Hudson Johnson led the Cru with 26 points, followed by Coady with a career-high 22 points and Lawrence with 20. Connor Zamiara and Zach Engels also finished with double-digits, scoring 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
Zamiara, Engels and Coady each tallied six rebounds while Lawrence added five assists and Engels had three steals.
 
"This was a great opportunity for us to come in to great environment and show what this team is capable of," Head Coach Sam Patterson said. "I thought we did a great job of keeping Howard Payne out of transition. They do a great job of pushing the ball and it was a focus for us to get back in transition. I thought we responded well out of halftime, and was really glad for Donta to have a career night today. He is a really efficient player who always draws the toughest defensive assignment. For Donta to produce on offense while exerting so much energy on defense is a credit to his tenacity, toughness and conditioning. I am proud of the toughness we have in our locker room. This team is one of the most connected teams I've been a part of, and it shows in the way they play and the way they celebrate each other."

We are excited about coming back to Belton and playing in front of the best fans in the ASC next Saturday. Thanks to everyone who made the drive to Brownwood and supports this program.

UMHB returns to action on Saturday, February 7th in a 3 p.m. contest against East Texas Baptist University at the Mayborn Campus Center in Belton.