Above photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru
Thursday’s Game
7:30 p.m. CT, Brownwood, Texas (Brownwood Coliseum)
Watch: Howard Payne Live Stream
No. 16 UMHB (17-2, 12-2 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: Having won its last five games, UMHB now holds a comfortable first-place advantage in the ASC standings. Coming off wins at UT-Dallas and LeTourneau, opponents have struggled in slowing the Crusaders offensively. One of only two teams in the conference shooting above 40 percent from the field (40.8), UMHB certainly is comfortable with high-scoring shootouts. But those do not occur often, due to the defense that has been seen late, with the ability to generate stops late in the game. The Cru also ranks No. 11 in the country in assists per game (18.8).
Howard Payne (6-15, 5-11 ASC)
Howard Payne Projected Starting Five
| # | Pos | Name | Ht | Class | Pts | Reb |
| 10 | G | Reese Ridder | 6'5 | So. | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| 20 | G | Myles Brown | 6'3 | So. | 12.7 | 4.3 |
| 4 | G | Jaylan Balou | 6'0 | Sr. | 11.9 | 4.5 |
| 35 | G | Frederick Watts | 6'4 | Gr. | 14.6 | 9.5 |
| 11 | G | Jerren Godfrey | 6'3 | So. | 9.2 | 2.3 |
About the Yellow Jackets: HPU has won two of its last three, defeating Belhaven and Ozarks, and also played both UT-Dallas and McMurry into overtime, though both of those contests resulted in losses. Every game from here on out is important for first-year head coach Nadir Dalleh’s team, who is fighting with Sul Ross State for the eighth and final ASC Tournament bid. Both teams are tied entering the last four games of the regular season. Despite shooting 38.1 percent from the field, the lowest percentage in the league, the Yellow Jackets give themselves opportunities for second-chance points with 40.8 rebounds per game. HPU is unique in the sense that is starts a five-guard lineup, led by Frederick Watts, who has 14.6 points per game.
