The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball team could not overcome LeTourneau’s hot second-half shooting as the Cru fell to the YellowJackets 87-82 Saturday night in Belton. The loss snaps UMHB’s six-game winning streak and drops the Cru to 6-1 overall and 1-1 in American Southwest Conference play. LeTourneau improves to 4-4 overall and 1-1 in the ASC with the victory.
The YellowJackets led by 10 points at 76-66 with 5:57 remaining in the game. UMHB fought back and cut the gap to 80-78 on a jumper and two free throws from Demarius Cress. LeTourneau answered with a Seth Mattson three-pointer to grab a five-point lead. Brian Long’s jumper made it 83-80 with 31 seconds to go and the two teams traded free throws before UMHB was forced to foul with nine seconds left on the clock and Justin Moore hit both shots to provide the final margin. The YellowJackets shot 57 percent from the floor in the second half. LeTourneau led 40-35 at halftime before opening up that double-digit lead in the second half.
Sam Moore had 19 points to lead the Cru and he added seven rebounds. Cress had 18 points and Long scored 17 more. UMHB shot 41 percent from the field and hit 4-17 from three-point range. The Cru did out rebound LeTourneau 46-38 in the game and had 17 offensive boards.
Nate West poured in 28 to lead the YellowJackets with 12 of those points coming from the stripe. He also had nine assists and eight rebounds. Caleb Loggins and Christian Seidl had 13 points apiece and Moore scored 12 for LeTourneau. The team hit 48 percent from the field and went 8-25 from beyond the arc.
UMHB will Texas Lutheran University for a non-conference game next Wednesday at 7 pm. The Cru returns to ASC action with a trip to Richardson next Saturday to face U.T.-Dallas.
