CLARKSVILLE, Arkansas- The opening minutes of No. 24 UMHB’s return to conference play on Thursday night were less than convincing. But with an improved intensity on the defensive end over the final two quarters, the Crusaders had little trouble pulling away.
The 76-56 victory over Ozarks marked the Cru’s 10th win of the year, moving the visitors from Belton to 10-3 overall, and 5-1 in American Southwest Conference action.
3 takeaways from the win
Success started on the defensive end
In the first two quarters, UMHB’s shots were falling at a fairly consistent rate. But so were Ozarks’. The Eagles shot 42 percent in the game’s opening half, matching UMHB score-for-score for a span of several minutes. Ozarks even opened the contest by taking a 7-0 lead, before a 5-0 run from the Crusaders made it a one-possession game.
UMHB took its first lead, 20-18, on Arieona Rosborough’s fast-break layup, and McCall Hampton, a transfer making her UMHB debut, got a layup to fall on a nice move in the post with 33 seconds left in the first quarter. But the Crusaders struggled to gain much separation, and took just a four-point lead in halftime, 42-38.
“Our defensive intensity wasn’t there,” Morefield said of the first half. “We weren’t moving off the ball, we were getting hung up on screens. Offensively, we were scoring, but we weren’t stopping them.”
That all changed in the second half, with Ozarks held to just nine points in each of the final two quarters. The Eagles attempted 10 three-pointers, but did not connect on a single one, and McKenzie Greeson, Ozarks’ top scorer at halftime with nine points, did not score once in the second half.
The increased intensity on the defensive end put UMHB very much in the driver’s seat, as the Crusaders opened the third quarter on an 8-0 run, with Ashley Faux’s jumper making it a 50-38 advantage.
“We said at halftime,’We need to have more energy,’: Morefield said. “I thought we came out and responded well. We kept building on that. We held them to 20 percent shooting in both the third and fourth quarters. That tells you a lot right there.”
UMHB dominated on the boards
One of the components of that defensive intensity was not only UMHB’s approach to guarding the ball, something the Crusaders did remarkably well in the second half, but also their quickness to the ball on missed shots on both ends of the floor.
UMHB won the rebounding battle, 57-35, with 22 offensive rebounds, tied for the second-highest mark in a single game this season. Those 22 offensive rebounds led to 15 second-chance points, while Ozarks tallied just five offensive boards in the second half. In other words, the Eagles rarely got more than one shot on each possession,
“I liked how we attacked the glass,” Morefield said. “McCall [Hampton] will give us another solid rebounder. Kam [Martinez] had six rebounds, Ashley [Faux] had 10. We have a great nose for the ball and getting in there.”
Compared to past teams he has led in Belton, Morefield feels this group might be the best collective rebounding team he has had. And that is notable, considering the role rebounds can play in the outcome of a game.
“We have players who are bought into rebounding and tracking the ball down,” Morefield noted, “where in the past, we might have had a handful, but not everyone being all in for it. We’re flying around, but we’re not doing it carelessly. “
Athleticism paid dividends for the Cru
The speed of UMHB roster was evident as the game played out, with the Crusaders taking advantage of opportunities to push the ball upcourt in transition, and pressuring the ball on the defensive end. With a deep group of guards, fast-break opportunities have been commonplace for the Cru since the early weeks of the season, though finishing on layups in transition has been something they’ve continually improved on.
“We’ve always spent a lot of time working on transition drills over the last several years,” Morefield said. “But now we have the personnel [to go along with it]. We can throw five guards at you and really push the ball. And I think the more important thing is not only having guards, but having other players who can run with those guards and finish at the rim.”
Quality passing in those transition situations, several of which came off of UMHB’s 11 steals, were critical, as the athleticism of the Crusaders was seen on both ends of the floor. UMHB’s first two made baskets of the second half came on fast-break plays, with Rosborough making it 44-38 1:03 into the third, and Catalina Cortez extending that lead by two on a similar play 13 seconds later. The Cru tallied 25 fast-break points in the victory.
Up Next
UMHB has already arrived in Richardson, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, where the Cru will battle UT-Dallas at 1 p.m. on Saturday. UTD is 8-5 overall, and 4-2 in the ASC, after beating Concordia 51-24 on Thursday night.
UMHB stat leaders
Points: Kenna Gibson (14), Arieona Rosborough (12), Lauren Baker (11)
Rebounds: Ashley Faux (10), Weade Adeleke (8), Arieona Rosborough (7)
Assists: Lauren Baker (3), Payton Hicks (2), Kenna Gibson (2)
