Above photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru
Thursday’s Game
7:30 p.m. CT, Mayborn Campus Center, Belton, Texas
Watch: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/umhb/
Admission is free.
READ: In rivalry rematch with HSU, No. 21 UMHB men’s hoops aims to showcase improvement
Hardin-Simmons (11-4, 7-3 ASC)
Hardin-Simmons Projected Starting Five
| # | Pos | Name | Ht. | Class | Pts | Reb |
| 0 | G | Aidan Walsh | 6'1 | Jr. | 10.2 | 3.4 |
| 23 | G | Chase Cobb | 6'2 | Sr. | 9.6 | 3.1 |
| 20 | F | Will Bartoszek | 6'4 | So. | 7.5 | 6.2 |
| 14 | F | Steven Quinn | 6'4 | Sr. | 18.2 | 5.3 |
| 24 | C | Trey Wooldridge | 6'10 | Sr. | 5.3 | 3.1 |
About the Cowboys: Behind its aggressive man-to-man defense, HSU presents a challenge for any team, especially those that rely on scoring. The Cowboys have won games by an average of 10 points, which is partially due to the fact that the defense creates turnovers and they keep opponents outside the paint. But HSU is not solely reliant on its ability to stop the scoring; the Cowboys can shoot it well, at 48.1 percent from the field this season. In addition to the 80-77 win in Abilene over UMHB, HSU also defeated Concordia, 99-76. The Cowboys do have a 85-77 loss to the conference leader, LeTourneau, who is 9-2.
No. 21 UMHB (13-2, 8-2 ASC)
UMHB Projected Starting Five
| # | Pos. | Name | Ht. | Class | Pts | Reb |
| 4 | G | Josiah Johnson | 6'1 | Jr. | 25.9 | 6.2 |
| 30 | G | Kyle Wright | 5'10 | Jr. | 6.3 | 2.4 |
| 10 | G | Carson Hammond | 6'2 | Sr. | 7.7 | 3.4 |
| 1 | F | Ty Prince | 6'5 | Sr. | 16.6 | 6.8 |
| 25 | F | Luke Feely | 6'4 | So. | 11.2 | 6.5 |
About the Cru: UMHB can score. Period. The second-highest scoring offense in the conference entering tonight’s game (87.9 PPG), the Crusaders have a variety of offensive weapons, including leading scorer Josiah Johnson, who is back in the lineup, forwards Ty Prince and Luke Feely, along with several other guards who have shown good accuracy from virtually anywhere on the floor. That offense will be tested in a big way tonight, as HSU has the league’s defense in terms of points allowed per game. Last time these two battled, on Dec. 11, 2021, HSU handed the Cru its first loss of the season, 80-77, as UMHB shot just 26 percent from three-point range. Getting to the free-throw line is also important for Carroll’s squad, who has connected on a conference-best 78 percent from the charity stripe. UMHB is a half-game behind LeTourneau in the conference standings.
