Late Trinity scoring run hands UMHB men’s basketball a third straight loss, Tigers defeat Cru, 83-64

Pictured: Trinity men’s basketball is off to a 5-0 start this season, and took down UMHB on Tuesday night in San Antonio, 83-64 (Photo by Luke Zayas/Backwards Hat Photography)

SAN ANTONIO, Texas- With 7:02 left in the second half inside Calgaard Gym on Tuesday night, the momentum appeared to reside with the visitors from Belton, donning their purple uniforms and aiming at snapping a two-game losing skid. 

This had not been a perfect game, either, much like the previous two, against Texas Lutheran and St. Thomas; games in which UMHB had been close late, but unable to take the lead and pull out a win. 

Trinity jumped out to a 12-0 lead right out of the gate, but UMHB responded and closed the first half on a 5-0 run, cutting what had been a double-digit advantage for the hosts to a mere two-point lead, 35-33, at the halftime intermission. 

Now, with seven minutes to go in this non-conference meeting between two programs, both of whom received votes but were unranked in Monday’s D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, UMHB knotted the score at 62 apiece. LD Butler’s layup off the glass put The Cru in a position to take the lead for the first time. 

But a victory was not meant to be on this evening in the Alamo City. Trinity countered Butler’s layup with a statement. A 21-2 scoring run from the hosts followed, with UMHB’s next points coming at the 1:33 mark on a layup from Trey Seigle with the game already decided. 

It was a stretch that included momentum-grabbing dunks and fast-break layups from the Tigers. It also saw UMHB turn the ball over five times in a seven-minute span and miss nine of its final 10 shots. 

Trinity walked away 5-0, with an 83-64 win in a game that turned out to be back-and-forth for the first 34 minutes, and noticeably one-sided for the final six. UMHB dropped to 2-3, having lost its third-straight game. 

“Tonight was tough,” UMHB head coach Clif Carroll said postgame. “My hat’s off to [Trinity head coach] Jimmy [Smith] and his squad. Jimmy is an incredible coach and his team was ready to win tonight.” 

Indeed, Smith, a UMHB alum himself, had his team ready for the athleticism and stellar guard play that the Crusaders brought to San Antonio. With solid defense, Trinity only sent UMHB to the free throw line a handful of times, with the visitors from Belton ending up 8-of-12 from the charity stripe. That was key, considering UMHB entered the contest with the nation’s second-highest free throw percentage and could win a game at the line if given the chance. 

Trinity also took advantage of UMHB’s defensive miscues, and made a number of exceptional plays on that end of the floor, shooting 51.7 percent from the field, and converting on 11-of-29 3-point attempts. Six of those made 3-pointers came from Jacob Harvey, who proved to be a matchup issue all night for the Crusaders. A 24-point effort from Harvey helped lift Trinity to the win, especially as he hit a pair of long-range shots in the final five minutes, the first of which came with 4:42 left and gave Trinity a 69-62 lead. 

The Tigers certainly displayed why they were undefeated on the year, not just in the late stretch, but throughout both halves. With size and athleticism, Trinity tallied 38 points in the paint, mixing its inside presence with consistent shooting from the perimeter. 

On the flip side, UMHB’s offense had a hot-and-cold night, not unlike the loss to Texas Lutheran on Nov. 15. The Crusaders showed instances at times of consistency on the offensive end, with a 7-0 run cutting the Trinity lead to 49-46 on a Josiah Johnson free throw with 14 minutes left. And in the only point at which UMHB tied the score, at the 7:02 mark, The Cru had converted on six of its last seven shots. But at other points, such as in the game’s first four minutes, points proved hard to come by, which made any attempt at gaining the lead difficult. 

Statistically, UMHB shot 41 percent, which marked the second-highest shooting percentage in a game this season, higher than it was in both of the wins in Illinois on the season’s opening weekend. 39 bench points, 22 of which came from Eli Beard, also stuck out as a positive, especially on a night when Johnson scored just six points, three of which came at the free throw line. But a 6-of-32 mark from 3-point range did not help the quest for victory, nor did 27 turnovers, which limited UMHB’s number of possessions and scoring opportunities. 

There is little time to dwell on the disappointment of the loss, however, with the all-important American Southwest Conference opener set for Saturday at Concordia (TX). The Tornadoes are 3-3, known for their fast-paced style of play, as they enter Saturday’s matchup averaging 89.7 points per game. 

Carroll remains confident in his squad. The season, after all, is only five games old. The entirety of conference play is ahead. 

“We have a multitude of things to figure out,” Carroll noted. “We have great kids and they will work until we do get it right.” 

UMHB stat leaders

Points: Eli Beard (22), Maurice Pinnock (10), Kyle Wright (6), Josiah Johnson (6)

Rebounds: Josiah Johnson (7), Kyle Wright (5), Ryan Pondant (5)

Assists: Eli Beard (4), Josiah Johnson (2), Kyle Wright (2), Ryan Pondant (2)