File photo by William Roberts/@c1osen
AUSTIN–The American Southwest Conference portion of the schedule tips off for Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball on Saturday afternoon, as the Crusaders make a short trip south for a duel with Concordia. UMHB is aiming to put a three-game losing skid in the rearview mirror, after taking an 83-64 loss at Trinity on Tuesday night.
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Setting the Stage
Mary Hardin-Baylor (2-3, 0-0 ASC) at Concordia (TX) (3-3, 0-0 ASC)
Date/Time: Saturday, December 2, 3:00 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas (Concordia Fieldhouse)
Follow the action
WATCH: athletics.concordia.edu
LIVE STATS: athletics.concordia.edu
The Series
UMHB and Concordia have met twice each year in conference play, with 51 meetings since the 2000-2001 season. UMHB holds a 40-11 record against the Tornadoes and has won six of the last seven meetings. Under head coach Clif Carroll, the Crusaders are 6-2 against Concordia, with the last loss coming in last season’s Dec. 3 matchup in Austin, as Concordia won 81-77. This also marks the last time UMHB will play the Tornadoes in Austin in conference play, with Concordia set to move to the SCAC in 2024-25. However, it is likely the series continues as a non-conference arrangement moving into the future.
Scouting Concordia
A fast-paced, highly-physical team, Concordia thrives on high-scoring affairs and pushing the ball in transition. It wears down opponents quickly, especially those with small rotations, as the Tornadoes often utilize full-court pressure on the defensive end, aiming to trap the opposing ballhandler in the corners of the court near the baseline, or before he crosses midcourt. It slows down the effectiveness of the opposing offense and creates a positive turnover margin in favor of Concordia, which leads to fast-break points and plays directly into the Tornadoes’ style.
The Tornadoes enter Saturday’s matchup averaging 89.7 points per game, which ranks No. 17 in the nation. 6-foot-6 junior Donovan Stafford leads the scoring attack at 19.5 points per game, and junior guard DJ Pigford is another key contributor, at 16.8 points per game. Four of Concordia’s starters tallied at least five starts for the Tornadoes a year ago, with the only exception being freshman guard Ibrahima Diallo. Concordia head coach Stan Bonewitz has kept the same starting five in place for each of the Tornadoes’ first six games of this season.
Concordia comes into Saturday’s contest having dropped its last two games, against Trinity (TX) and Colorado College. The Tornadoes are 1-1 against common opponents (with UMHB), having narrowly beaten Texas Lutheran, 87-85, and lost to Trinity, 91-84.
Finding consistent offensive rhythm
UMHB has struggled on the offensive end throughout its first five games, with an inability to score in bunches, or maintain scoring runs to gain separation. The Crusaders enter this matchup with the lowest shooting percentage in the league, at 40.2 percent. That said, UMHB has a number of great shooters on the floor who have displayed that strong shooting touch at times, and The Cru does rank fourth in the league in 3-point percentage, having converted on 31.9 percent of its shots from beyond the arc.
At the line
Concordia sends its opponents to the free throw line for nearly 18 attempts per game. That could play into UMHB’s favor, as the Crusaders lead in the ASC and rank fifth in the country in free throw percentage (84.2%). If they can find their way to the charity stripe, something that did not happen frequently in Tuesday’s loss, it will aid UMHB in the quest for victory. Josiah Johnson leads the team in free throw percentage, converting on 92.3 percent of his attempts at the line.
On the horizon
UMHB hosts ASC foe LeTourneau in its highly-anticipated home opener on Thursday, Dec. 7 at 7:30 p.m. The Cru then gets a home duel with East Texas Baptist in Belton at 3 p.m. on Dec. 9 in a rematch of last year’s Second Round NCAA Tournament contest. UMHB is the only team in the ASC who has not yet played at home this season.
