“We never gave up”: UMHB women’s basketball erases late double-digit deficit, stuns ASC rival Hardin-Simmons in OT

Photo by Russell Marwitz/russellmarwitz.com/True To The Cru

ABILENE, Texas-In what will surely be remembered as one of the most thrilling comebacks in program history, the No. 19/20 UMHB women’s basketball team stunned No. 10/14 Hardin-Simmons on the road Thursday night, emerging with a 93-89 overtime victory in dramatic fashion. 

But as UMHB (14-1, 7-0 ASC) entered the fourth quarter the Crusaders’ hopes for a 14th-straight victory were on thin ice. 

Trailing by 13, and having given up six 3-pointers in the third quarter, Hardin-Simmons held the momentum, and a double-digit lead. Not to mention the fact that the Cowgirls were playing on their home court, aiming to snap UMHB’s lengthy winning streak. 

Even with the deficit, UMHB was unfazed. The Crusaders fought their way back into contention possession by possession, slowly trimming HSU’s lead until the lead was no more. Alexis Carmosino’s 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:57 remaining in the fourth put UMHB in front for the first time since the 6:10 mark of the first quarter. 

HSU then cut the deficit to a single point before Carmosino responded with another jumper. Aiken Semones countered with a 3-pointer for HSU, tying the game, and pushing the contest in overtime. 

Parris Parmer’s layup briefly put HSU up 78-76, but that was the last time the Cowgirls led. 27 seconds later, UMHB’s Lauren Baker intercepted an HSU pass near halfcourt, turned, and drove the ball to the basket, scoring as she was fouled. Baker converted on the free throw that followed, giving the Crusaders a 79-78 advantage early in overtime. 

The Cowgirls countered, eventually tying the score on yet another 3-pointer from Semones, but this time, UMHB answered by scoring on the other end. Kaitlyn Kollmorgen rebounded a missed jump-shot and went back up with a layup, giving the visitors from Belton an 85-83 lead with 47 seconds left. 

UMHB held that advantage until the final buzzer, emerging with an improbable victory highlighted by the double-digit rally. 

“We never gave up,” UMHB head coach Katie Novak-Lenoir said postgame. “We did a better job as the game went on of getting into our offensive flow and taking smarter shots. It took a little while but our communication was much better in the second half.

“We still had our mistakes, but we didn’t linger on them. And on the boards, we were even at half. That was something we knew had to change.”

And it did. UMHB, the ASC’s No. 1 rebounding team, attacked the boards on every possession on both ends of the floor. The result was a 52-35 advantage in the rebounding battle, as the Crusaders outrebounded HSU, 33-16, in the second half and overtime. Perhaps no offensive rebound was bigger than Kollmorgen’s with under a minute in overtime, but on the other end, The Cru pulled down several key rebounds as well, closing out strong defensive possessions down the stretch as the Cowgirls were limited to a single shot on almost every possession in the fourth quarter. 

HSU opened the game with a 17-16 lead through the opening quarter, but made a critical scoring run in the early minutes of the second, shooting 53.3 percent in the period. Madison Williams’ layup with 3:45 left put the hosts up by nine, 34-25, and HSU headed into halftime with a 37-30 lead. 

The 10-2 run in the second proved to be a precursor to the third quarter, as HSU made several strides on the offensive end. Against UMHB’s zone defense, shot after shot fell through the net, including a number of 3-pointers from Semones, who had the hot hand for HSU. 

Semones’ 3-pointer at the 1:14 mark gave the Cowgirls their largest lead of the evening, as HSU found itself in a comfortable position, leading 63-48. Of course, UMHB soon flipped the script, fighting all the way back over the final 15 minutes. 

Arieona Rosborough led UMHB’s offensive effort with 30 points, scoring at least 30 for the second time in the last three games. The junior guard had a number of key free throws late in the overtime period, and finished 13-of-16 at the line. 

Carmosino also had a huge performance offensively, with a season-best 19 points. That included a fadeaway jumper midway through the fourth that made it a one-possession game, and her clutch 3-pointer with 1:57 left in regulation. The Phoenix, Arizona native shot 8-of-12 from the field, and was responsible for 14 of UMHB’s 26 fourth-quarter points. 

Paris Kiser scored a team-high 22 points for HSU, and Semones added 15, shooting 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Cru now looks ahead to another challenging road test at McMurry (11-4, 6-1 ASC) at 1 p.m. on Saturday, completing UMHB’s road trip to Abilene. The Warhawks defeated Concordia (TX), 86-68, on Thursday night.