Howard Payne defeats UMHB men’s basketball, 96-79, in disappointing loss for The Cru

File photo of UMHB men’s basketball by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com

BROWNWOOD, Texas- Far too many turnovers and an inconsistent night on both ends of the floor handed the UMHB men’s basketball team a disappointing 96-79 loss to Howard Payne on Thursday night, snapping the Crusaders’ two-game win streak. 

It marked UMHB’s first loss to the Yellow Jackets since Feb. 17, 2018, when HPU stole a victory in buzzer-beater fashion in Brownwood, 76-74. 

No such buzzer-beater was necessary this time around, however, with HPU pulling away from the visiting Crusaders in the second half. The Yellow Jackets outscored UMHB 52-37 over the final 20 minutes, widening the lead to as many as 21 points with under a minute left. While UMHB cut the deficit to single digits, 79-70, with just 6:02 remaining, The Cru never got any closer. HPU answered Josiah Johnson’s layup with an 8-0 scoring run, putting the hosts up by 17, 87-70, as the clock ticked below four minutes. 

From that point on, HPU’s claim to victory was never really in question, as the Yellow Jackets improved to 6-5 overall, and 2-3 in American Southwest Conference play. UMHB dropped to 4-5, with a 2-2 mark in the conference. 

While the game ended with HPU gaining momentum for much of the final 10 minutes, it was UMHB who raced out to an 11-5 advantage three minutes,15 seconds into the first half. The Yellow Jackets displayed their long-range shooting ability early on, when Hudson Johnson connected on a 3-pointer for a 5-0 lead. But a Kyle Wright 3-pointer sparked an 11-0 Crusader scoring spurt, and UMHB held the lead until the 13:53 mark, when Johnson converted on a jump-shot for a 14-13 HPU lead.

A back-and-forth first half unfolded from that point on, with neither side gaining a lead any larger than six points within the final 10 minutes. In fact, the score was tied three times and up until Myles Brown’s 3-pointer for HPU with 2:31 until halftime, the contest was a one-possession game. Brown’s long-range shot, and a pair of free throws from Johnson, put the Yellow Jackets up 40-34 with 2:08 left. But Payton Brooks and Maurice Pinnock countered with scores on consecutive possessions for UMHB, and HPU headed into halftime up by just four, 44-40. 

The momentum quickly swung in favor of the Yellow Jackets coming out of the intermission, however, as HPU put five quick points on the board within the first minute of the second half. That set the stage for a strong offensive second half from the hosts, who also challenged UMHB’s offensive attack with their zone defense, and kept the Crusaders from putting together a sizable scoring run. 

Amongst the biggest stat differentials, HPU tallied 31 fast-break points, utilizing a fast-pace in transition, especially off of turnovers. UMHB had just four fast-break points, all of which came very late in the second half. And turnovers-wise, HPU took advantage of 22 Crusader turnovers, which resulted in 29 points for the Yellow Jackets. 

Hudson Johnson, who began his college career at UMHB, finished with 28 points for HPU. Josiah Johnson tallied 21 points as The Cru’s leading scorer, and Ryan Pondant added 14. Pondant also grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, while Wright dished out six assists. 

UMHB now looks ahead to Saturday’s 3 p.m. matchup against Sul Ross State in Alpine, Texas. The Lobos are 6-4 overall in the 2023-24 season.