Abilene, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's basketball team dominated the middle two quarters and then held off McMurry's late charge as the Cru posted a 69-66 victory over the Warhawks Saturday in Abilene. UMHB improves to 9-10 on the year with the win. The loss drops McMurry to 4-15 on the season. Games against the Warhawks do not count in the American Southwest Conference standings.
The Cru scored the game's first five points and opened with a 12-4 run before McMurry fought back to take a 24-21 lead after the first quarter. UMHB held the Warhawks to just 11 points in the second period and led 41-35 at halftime. The Cru built the lead to double digits at 54-44 at the end of the third quarter and that edge would grow to 12 points early in the final period. McMurry used seven straight points to close to within 60-57 with 5:03 left to play and the Warhawks cut it to 67-66 with ten seconds remaining. Kourtney Bevers calmly sank two free throws with seven seconds to go to give UMHB a 69-66 cushion and Sham Hunter missed a lay-up on the Warhawks final possession.
Kendra Wynn led the Cru with 14 points on 6-9 shooting. Tori Tucker had 13 points and Jonelle Smith added 12 points and six rebounds for UMHB. The Cru shot 55 percent as a team in the first half and finished at 46 percent for the game. UMHB was just 9-15 from the free-throw line in the contest.
Sierra Maykus topped McMurry with 22 points and she hit 4-8 from three-point range. Haley Welch added 15 points, Hunter had 13 points and seven assists and Taylor Russell scored 12 points and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds. McMurry out rebounded UMHB 41-31 in the game, but the Warhawks shot just 40 percent as a team in the loss.
The Cru women will now return home to return to ASC conference play. UMHB will host U.T.-Dallas for a 5:30 PM tip-off at the Mayborn Campus Center next Thursday.