Kerrville, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team built a 20-point first half lead and never looked back as the 5th-ranked Cru rolled to a 73-58 victory over Schreiner University in the season opener Wednesday night in Kerrville. UMHB is now 1-0 to open the season. The loss drops the Mountaineers to 0-3 on the year.
The Cru opened the game with a 13-2 lead and pushed the lead to 20 points at 41-21 on two Layton Zinsmeister free throws with 2:29 left in the first half. UMHB would hold a 43-26 lead at halftime. Schreiner pulled to within 14 points early in the second half, but Jerard Graham's three-pointer and Kitrick Bell's three-point play took the lead back to 20. James Allen hit a three-pointer with 2:10 remaining to give UMHB its biggest lead of the game at 73-51 and the Mountaineers would not get closer than the final margin the rest of the way.
Allen led the Cru with 22 points and he added six rebounds and a two assists. Bell chipped in 20 points and seven rebounds on 9-12 shooting from the field to earn Schlotzsky's Lotz Better Player of the Game honors. Antonie Chaney hit 4-6 from three-point range to score 12 points for UMHB and Sheldon Jones added three blocked shots. The Cru shot 49 per cent from the field as a team and went 11-20 from beyond the arc. UMHB also out rebounded Schreiner 36-29 but committed 16 turnovers in the victory.
A.J. Myres was the only player in double figures for Schreiner with 17 points. The Mountaineers shot just 33 per cent from the field and hit just 5-26 from three-point range in the loss.
UMHB will return to action with a 7:30 PM tip-off at Southwestern University next Tuesday in Georgetown. The Cru will then welcome Trinity University to the Mayborn Campus Center for the 2013-14 home opener on Saturday, November 30th.