Spokane, WA – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team fought back from a double-digit second-half deficit, but the Cru's comeback bid fell short in a 70-61 loss to Whitworth University Friday evening in Spokane, Washington. The loss drops UMHB's record to 1-1 on the season. The 14th-ranked Pirates even their record at 1-1 on the year with the victory.
The Cru fell behind by nine points at 24-15 with 6:24 left in the first half, but outscored the Pirates 9-2 in that final stretch to cut it to 26-24 at the half. UMHB scored the first four points of the second half and pushed the lead to three points at 31-28 1:34 into the second half. Whitworth retook the lead and built a 64-54 advantage with 2:43 left to play. A Kitrick Bell lay-up and three free-throws from James Allen and Thomas Orr pulled the Cru to within five at 64-59, but that's as close as UMHB would get as the Pirates iced the game from the free-throw line.
Orr led the Cru with 17 points and Bell posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Allen also reached double figures with 11 points for UMHB. The Cru out rebounded Whitworth 40-33 but shot just 5-21 from three-point range and 36 percent from the field.
Dustin McConnell scored a game-high 18 points to lead Whitworth and Colton McGargar added 13 more off the bench. Mack Larkin and George Valle chipped in 12 points apiece for the Pirates. Whitworth shot 45 percent from the field and went 9-26 from beyond the arc in the victory.
The UMHB men will close out the Washington swing with a 4:00 PM Central Time tip-off at Whitman College on Sunday. The Cru will then face Trinity University in a non-conference road game next Wednesday night before returning home to open American Southwest Conference play at home against LeTourneau University next Saturday.