BELTON, Texas–UMHB and Ozarks combined to shoot 83 free throws in Thursday night’s conference duel. Fortunately for The Cru, it played directly into one of their biggest strengths.
The No. 1 free throw-shooting team in the American Southwest Conference, UMHB went 31-of-37 from the charity stripe, capturing its third-straight victory. The high-scoring, 95-81 win improved UMHB’s overall record to 7-5 and 3-2 in ASC play.
Josiah Johnson led that charge on the offensive end, scoring 34 points and grabbing 16 rebounds–both team-highs–as he tallied a double-double. Johnson also added six assists as UMHB eclipsed the 90-point mark for the first time this season.
Eli Beard and Payton Brooks joined Johnson in double figures, as Beard scored 15 points off the bench and Brooks finished with 13.
Coming on the heels of an overtime exhibition battle at D2 Texas A&M-Kingsville, UMHB found its rhythm early. Though Ozarks opened the game on a 4-0 run, UMHB scored seven of the next nine points, and seized the lead on a jump-shot from Johnson less than two minutes into the first half. With a frequent number of trips to the free throw line in the opening half and a number of timely 3-pointers, Ozarks tied the score at 17 apiece with 11:05 remaining.
A layup from Ryan Pondant on UMHB’s next possession earned the Crusaders the advantage, and sparked an 11-2 scoring run. It led to a 28-19 lead after Kyle Wright’s fast-break layup, and a pair of free throws from Wright soon after resulted in UMHB’s first double-digit lead of the day, 30-20, with 5:33 left.
But by the 1:49 mark, Ozarks had cut UMHB’s lead to just four points, thanks to a Tim Eldridge 3-pointer. Eldridge scored 14 points for the Eagles, and was one of five double-digit scorers.
Leading 42-35 at the intermission, UMHB’s advantage widened to 53-38 on a pair of consecutive 3-pointers, as The Cru pulled away. Ozarks never again cut the deficit to single digits, with UMHB extending its lead to as many as 22 points, 79-57, with 7:54 left on two free throws from Johnson.
UMHB’s strong offensive day saw the Crusaders shoot 50 percent from the field, marking the second time this season that they converted on exactly half of their shots. The Cru added 38 points in the paint and 28 fast-break points, pushing the ball in transition as they forced 19 turnovers.
The conference schedule continues on Saturday, when UT-Dallas (6-6, 2-2 ASC) makes the trip to Belton for a 3 p.m. matchup. UMHB has won the last five meetings between the two programs.
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