BELTON, Texas- Heading into this week, the UMHB women’s basketball team is in a good position, as the underdog having lost three straight, yet, still very much in the running for the ASC West Division Title. Coming back to Belton, two tough East Division opponents are on tap for the Cru. Read all about it, hear from head coach Mark Morefield, and check out our projected starting lineup, in this week’s “Coach’s Clipboard”.
UMHB head coach Mark Morefield on heading into the week after losing three straight: “The biggest thing is, we’re talented. We’re really underachieving right now with our talent. A lot of it is IQ, and attention to detail. I like it if people overlook us because we’ve had a rough stretch. At some point, it’s going to click and they’re going to catch us at the wrong time. Our in-game mistakes are nothing that anyone is doing to us, it is all self-inflicted.”
Projected Starting Lineup:
PG- Bethany McLeod, Junior- 7.1 PPG, 2.1 APG*, 2.6 RPG
G- Brooke Elliot, Senior- 4.7 PPG, 1.9 APG, 3.6 RPG
G- Olivia Champion, Sophomore- 6.2 PPG, 1.1 APG, 2.6 RPG
F- Hannah Eggleston, Sophomore- 7.1 PPG, 1.8 APG, 6.0 RPG
C- Allaira Jones, Junior- 8.3 PPG*, 0.9 APG, 7.7 RPG*
Team Notes:
- The Cru are on a three-game losing skid, having lost to Hardin-Simmons on January 30, before falling to Sul Ross State and Howard Payne on the road.
- UMHB is fourth in the ASC West Division standings, with a winning percentage of .444.
About the opponent: LeTourneau CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER
Date: February 11
Time: 5:30 p.m. CT
Place: Belton, Texas (Mayborn Campus Center)
Watch: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umhb/
Notes:
- LETU is 10-3 on the season, and 6-2 in ASC play. The Yellowjackets are second in the East Division, just behind East Texas Baptist.
- The last time these two met on the court, UMHB defeated LETU in Longview, 67-64, as Ashley Faux scored 16 points for the Cru in the non-conference contest.
- Keauna Whitfield will need to be guarded closely, as the senior guard has started all 13 games for the Yellowjackets and leads the team in points per game with 15.7 and shoots 39 percent from the field.
- LeTourneau earned eight points in the most recent D3hoops’ Top 25 poll.
About the opponent: East Texas Baptist
Date: February 13
Time: 12 p.m. CT
Place: Belton, Texas (Mayborn Campus Center)
Watch: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umhb/
Notes:
- ETBU comes into the matchup ranked No. 2 in the nation by D3hoops.com with an 18-0 record on the season.
- While the Tigers’ record may look solid on paper, ETBU actually played one of the weakest non-conference schedules in the ASC this season. They did beat D1 McNeese State on December 3, 68-67, but decided to count that game as an exhibition, so it would not factor into the overall record.
- ETBU leads the ASC East Division with a 10-0 conference record. In a normal season, the Tigers would have already clinched the East Division title, but because the standings are determined by winning percentage, the division winner likely won’t be set in stone until next week.
- The Tigers rely on two things to earn victories: three-point shooting, and post play. ETBU is led by senior guard Mallory Stephens, an 18 game starter who leads in the team in points per game with 8.9. Junior guard Bridget Upton has come off the bench in 16 games this season to average 8.9 points per game as well.
- How the Cru can beat them: UMHB already has experience going up against a great three-point shooting team in D1 Abilene Christian, and held them to the second lowest number of made threes in non-conference play, so defending the arc shouldn’t be an issue. Inside, Morefield will need Taylor Kollmorgen, Allaira Jones and Hannah Eggleston to step up. On average, ETBU outrebounds its opponents 46-37 per game.
