Richardson, TX— The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team closed the game with a 9-2 run to hold off a challenge from U.T.-Dallas and the Cru stayed unbeaten with a 64-56 win over the Comets Saturday afternoon in Richardson. The 9th-ranked UMHB men improve to 12-0 overall and 8-0 in American Southwest Conference play with the victory. The loss drops UTD to 9-4 overall and 5-4 in the ASC on the season.
UMHB opened the game with a 7-0 run, but the Comets would battle back to open up a six-point lead late in the first half. The Cru scored seven of the final nine points of the half to take a 24-23 halftime lead. The game stayed tight through the early going in the second half before the Comets opened up a nine-point lead at 39-30. UMHB answered with a run of its own and Brian Todd's lay-in gave the Cru a 42-41 lead with 9:51 left to play. James Allen added a lay-up and Kitrick Bell hit a three-pointer to put UMHB up by six points. UTD cut it to a one-point lead with 2:51 remaining, but Marlon Miller wrapped back-to-back three's around a pair of Comet free-throws to give the Cru a five-point lead and UMHB closed the game on a 6-0 run, holding UTD scoreless for the final 1:33 to get the win.
Miller led UMHB with 16 points and Todd added 15 for the Cru. Dorian Purnell had nine points and a game-high eight rebounds for UMHB while Allen and Bell also scored nine points apiece in a balanced scoring attack.
Chris Barnes poured in 23 points to lead the Comets and he was 5-9 from three-point range. No other player reached double figures for UTD but Greg Chiasson had nine points.
The Cru shot 50 percent from the field in the victory and went 5-11 from three-point range. UMHB out rebounded U.T.-Dallas 38-27 and held the Comets to 32 percent shooting from the field.
UMHB will now return to ASC West Division action with three games next week. The Cru will sandwich home games against Concordia Texas and Texas Lutheran University on Tuesday and Saturday around a road contest at Schreiner University Thursday night in Kerrville.