Longview, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team was ice cold from the field in the first half and the Cru could not shoot their way out of it in the second half in an 85-62 loss to U.T.-Dallas in the First Round of the American Southwest Conference Tournament Thursday in Longview. The loss ends the season for UMHB while U.T. Dallas moves on to the ASC Tournament Semifinals.
U.T. Dallas scored the game's first seven points and opened up a 16-6 lead with 12:41 left in the first half. That lead would grow to as many as 16 points before the Comets settled for a 38-24 halftime lead. UMHB shot just 28 percent from the field in the first half and went 1-10 from three-point range. The Comets stretched the lead out to 28 points midway through the second half before the Cru made a bit of a run. UMHB closed to within 17 points at 79-62 with 2:08 remaining, but UTD scored the final six points of the game.
Keenan Holdman led the Cru with a career-high 19 points off the bench. Aubrie King scored 11 points and extended his UMHB single-season record for three-pointers to 86. Ryan Lang and Daniel Mills had six points apiece and Mills and Aedan Welch pulled down team-highs with six rebounds each. The Cru shot 27 percent in the second half to finish at 27 percent for the game. UMHB was 3-26 from beyond the arc and turned the ball over 14 times in the loss.
Dimitrius Underwood led the Comets with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Kyle Coulter added 14 points and Caleb Banks scored 11 while dishing off 11 assists. U.T. Dallas shot 48 percent as a team in the second half and finished at 44 percent as a team. The Comets also out rebounded UMHB 39-34 and committed just nine turnovers in the game.
Thursday's loss closes out the UMHB careers of Cru seniors Daniel Mills, Avery Polchinski and Austen Stolte. The UMHB men were making their ASC record 17th appearance in the conference tournament. The Comets improve to 12-14 on the season with the win and will face the Hardin-Simmons/East Texas Baptist winner in a 5:00 PM Semifinal on Friday. The Cru ends the season at 16-10.