UT-Dallas outscores UMHB men’s basketball by 20 in second half, hands Cru a 91-75 loss

Above photo: Payton Brooks drives to the basket for UMHB as UTD’s Donovan Souter defends (Photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com)

BELTON, Texas–The frustration was felt inside the Mayborn Campus Center as the final minutes of Saturday’s matchup unfolded. In a game in which the UMHB men’s basketball team led UT-Dallas 43-39 at halftime, The Cru struggled to the finish line. 

The result was a 91-75 loss at home, just days before a key American Southwest Conference tilt at Hardin-Simmons in Abilene. UTD outscored UMHB 52-32 over the game’s final 20 minutes, handing the Crusaders their third loss in league play. 

The Cru is now 7-6 overall and 3-3 in the league, dropping back to a tie for fourth place in the standings. UTD improved to 7-6 overall and 3-2 in the ASC. 

Much like in UMHB’s previous losses, there was no clear point at which things derailed, though UTD put together a pair of key second-half runs that gave the Comets control. The shooting was mediocre for much of the contest, and even more so in the second half, when offensive rhythm proved difficult to find. But more importantly, the defense struggled against UTD’s skilled and efficient attack, as the Comets shot 58.6 percent in the second half. 

Much of that scoring came on 3-point shooting, as UTD converted on 7 of its 13 shots from beyond the arc over the final half, and pulled away behind that long-range scoring success. 

“We hit some shots, and our guys’ confidence got going,” UTD head coach Jared Fleming, who is in his first year leading the Comets, said postgame. “When guys see shots go in, they start feeling good about themselves. So that was a big deal.” 

The credit went to UTD for establishing that offensive consistency, and carrying out its gameplan, UMHB head coach Clif Carroll noted postgame. But there was another element that he believed contributed to his squad’s performance, and it did not show up in the box score.

“Jared Fleming is a great friend,” Carroll said. “He had a great game plan. But at the end of the day, it’s just us not playing with any kind of passion or intensity. It’s been like that. That’s the way it was at Texas Lutheran. That’s the way it was at Trinity.” 

Struggling on either end of the floor is part of what comes with the ebbs and flows of the sport and the length of a college season. But the lack of effort and passion, especially as UTD began its charge towards the lead, was the root of Carroll’s disappointment postgame. UMHB went from leading 47-46 to trailing 65-51 in the span of five minutes, and it quickly became a hole too deep to dig out of. The margin never went back to single digits, as the Comets led by as many as 19 points with 8:43 left.

“I don’t know what it is,” Carroll said. “It’s really frustrating. I have taken a lot of pride in my career in that all my teams have played and competed really hard. Now, we didn’t always win. But we always competed. This year, the non-competitive games we’ve had with no effort and no energy is beyond me.”

To UTD’s credit, the Comets seized their opportunity to make a run, and snapped a four-game losing skid in the process. In both halves, they ran their offense with poise, and converted on plenty of 3-point looks from the corners, scoring 90+ points in a game for the fourth time this season. 

Seven different players scored in double figures in points, led by Rob Wade, who had 17 points in 16 minutes. Wade, an Austin native who stands at 6-foot-5, proved to be a major threat to UMHB’s success on both ends of the floor. 

On one instance, with 14:06 in the first half, UTD’s Franklin Onyeme missed a free throw, but Wade chased down the rebound, keeping possession with the Comets. He found Matthew Soto for a 3-point attempt, but the shot was off the mark, and once again, Wade pulled down an offensive rebound. He went back up to the rim with force, and got the layup to fall, putting UTD back in front, 16-15. Wade finished 8-of-9 from the field and tallied five rebounds. 

“Our bigs are really good,” Fleming said postgame. “They’re tough. We know when we play inside-out, it just opens everything up. It gives us a different element that is tough to guard and those guys did a great job. 

“We just got Austin Page back, and this was his fourth game of the season, so we’re still incorporating him back into the mix. Rob Wade did great, Tyler Stevens came in, and got a big bucket. Jordan Balderaz did great. They really worked hard on the glass.” 

Winning in Belton is never an easy task for a visiting opponent, and in a league that is wide-open, with five teams separated by just one game in the conference standings, UTD’s victory was especially notable. Only the top six teams make the ASC Tournament, putting plenty of pressure on each league contest. 

“Every road win is tough, and even tougher at Mary Hardin-Baylor,” Fleming noted. “They’ve been the class of the league for the last two years, at least. They’re really good. It’s a big win for our guys. Our league is really good. Hardin-Simmons is on top, but after that, it’s really, really tight, so road wins are big in this conference. This was an exciting one for us.” 

As for UMHB, a trip to Abilene awaits. But before the focus can shift to Hardin-Simmons and McMurry, Carroll is aiming to right the ship in Belton and find leadership and energy within his own locker room. 

“I can’t really worry about Hardin-Simmons right now,” Carroll said. “We have to figure us out first and figure out how we can get things straight in our locker room before worrying about the team that is the best team in the league right now.”

Zachary Engels led UMHB’s offensive effort with 23 points, marking a new career-high for the sophomore, who shot 7-of-12 from the floor and 7-of-8 at the free throw line. Josiah Johnson added 20 points and Eli Beard had 17 off the bench. Engels and Johnson each tallied six rebounds, tying for the team-high in that category. Johnson also dished out eight assists, tying his previous career-high for assists, which was last reached on Feb. 25, 2022 in a game against UTD.