BELTON, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women's basketball team edged Howard Payne University 79-75 in an overtime match Saturday afternoon in Belton. The win improved the Cru to 16-7 on the season and 9-5 in American Southwest Conference action while the Yellow Jackets fell to 15-9 overall and 12-3 in league play.

Howard Payne led by as many as four points in the first half before Kendall Rollins scored four consecutive points to tie the quarter up at 11-11. Rollins followed that with a three-point buzzer-beater to end the quarter with a 17-15 UMHB lead. The Cru then opened the second quarter on an 8-2 scoring run, holding the YellowJackets to just two points in the first 2:58 of play. Howard Payne went on to hold the Cru to just six points in the remainder of the quarter, ending the first half with a 31-30 UMHB lead.

The third quarter remained knotted with six tied scores. Howard Payne led late before Jonelle Smith hit a jumper with 33 seconds left tie the game at 51-all. Howard Payne again led late in the fourth quarter before Haven Neal hit jumpers with 13.5 seconds left and 2.3 seconds left to force the game into overtime. Kendra Wynn opened overtime three unanswered points for the Cru before Neal hit back-to-back jumpers for a six-point lead. Howard Payne's Sarahi Castillo hit a three-pointer with 56 seconds left to cut the lead to just three. Destini Oakmon then hit a jumper with 39 seconds left for a 5-0 Cru advantage. Micah Cisneroz responded with a jumper for Howard Payne to cut UMHB's lead to three with 29 seconds left to play. Jesslyn Poole secured the the win for the Cru, hitting a free throw with four seconds left to give UMHB a 79-75 win.

Jonelle Smith led the Cru with 21 points followed by Neal with 20. UMHB shot 37.7 percent in the contest, 26.7 percent from beyond the arc and 71.9 from the free throw line. Poole led UMHB with eight boards as the Cru out-rebounded the YellowJackets 44-41 in the contest. Meghan Turner led the Cru with six assists while UMHB recorded 16 steals, led by Wynn with four.

Castillo led Howard Payne with 28 points followed by Cisneroz with 17. Cisneroz also brought down a team-high 10 rebounds and seven assists. The Yellow Jackets shot 46.6 percent in the contest, 25 percent from beyond the arc and 55.6 percent from the free throw line.

UMHB returns to action on Thursday, February 16th in a 5:30 p.m. match at McMurry University in Abilene.