The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s and women’s basketball teams will close out the regular season with a pair of road games this week. The Cru men and women will take on Sul Ross State in a Thursday doubleheader in Alpine before facing Howard Payne in the regular season finale on Saturday in Brownwood.
The UMHB women enter the week at 19-4 overall and 12-3 in American Southwest Conference play. The Cru needs just one more to win to clinch the West Division title and a #1 seed in the ASC Championship Tournament. UMHB leads the league in scoring offense at 75.6 points per game and Hannah Holt is the conference’s top individual scorer at 18.6 points per contest. Kendall Rollins is third in the ASC in scoring and Meghan Turner became the Cru’s all-time leader in career assists by pushing her total to 368 in last Saturday’s loss at Concordia Texas. Sul Ross State is 6-17 overall and 4-11 in the ASC on the season and the Lobos are battling Hardin-Simmons for the #4 seed from the West Division in the ASC Championship Tournament. Erica Powell and Angalyn Latin are scoring 12.0 and 11.9 points per game for SRSU on the season. Howard Payne University brings a 14-9 overall record and 10-5 conference mark into the week. The Yellow Jackets will take on Concordia Texas Thursday night before facing the Cru on Saturday. Valarie Matlock leads a balanced HPU offense with 13.4 points per outing. UMHB beat Howard Payne 72-66 and topped Sul Ross State 90-68 in the previous meetings this season.
The Cru men are 16-7 overall and 9-6 in the ASC and enter the week tied for second in the ASC West Division with Concordia. Four UMHB players are averaging double figures on the season with Demarius Cress leading the way at 15.6 points per game. Justin Gammill tops the Cru in rebounding at 7.3 boards per game. Sul Ross State has already clinched the ASC West Division title and will host next week’s ASC Championship Tournament. The Lobos are 18-5 overall and 13-2 in conference play on the season. Caleb Thomasson leads Sul Ross in scoring and rebounding, ranking second and third in the ASC, at 20.1 points and 8.6 rebounds a game. The Lobos edged UMHB 97-95 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer in the previous meeting between the two teams. Howard Payne enters the week at 9-14 overall and 5-10 in the ASC and the Yellow Jackets are locked in a battle with Hardin-Simmons for the West Division’s #4 seed in the ASC Tournament. Khyce Randall is the ASC’s leading scorer and rebounder with 24.7 points and 9.6 rebounds per game on the year. The Cru knocked off the Yellow Jackets 87-70 when the two teams faced off in Belton three weeks ago.
