Photo of Arieona Rosborough by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru
ABILENE, Texas- The No. 19/20 UMHB women’s basketball team had just seven points through the first five minutes of Saturday afternoon’s American Southwest Conference tilt at McMurry. On top of that, the Crusaders found themselves facing a 10-point deficit.
But once the offense got rolling, there was nothing the Warhawks could do to stop it.
UMHB (15-1, 8-0 ASC) scored the second-most points in a single game in program history, taking down McMurry (11-5, 6-2 ASC), 108-96, inside Kimbrell Arena. It marked The Cru’s 15th straight win, as UMHB remains undefeated in ASC play, at 8-0.
Arieona Rosborough led the scoring effort with 36 points, and broke the program record for points scored in a single game, surpassing Hannah Holt’s 35-point performance against Texas Lutheran on Nov. 16, 2017. It marked the junior guard’s third 30-plus-point game in the last two weeks, following up on her 30-point showing in the come-from-behind defeat of Hardin-Simmons on Thursday.
“I don’t know why we’ve been having slow starts, but we need to figure out a way to come out of the gates stronger,” UMHB head coach Katie Novak-Lenoir said. “We did a good job of sharing the ball and taking care of it. McMurry can really shoot it well, and they have a lot of offensive weapons. They got on our heels a little bit.”
But UMHB soon pulled away from McMurry over the final three quarters. Everything seemed to click for the Crusaders as the contest progressed, and that fact was no more evident than in UMHB’s 3-point shooting. The visitors from Belton connected on 13-of-31 attempts from beyond the arc, tying the record for the second-most 3-pointers made in a game in UMHB history.
UMHB scored 20 or more points in all four quarters, doing so for the third time this season. McMurry, who opened the game by making nine of its first 16 shots, led 28-22 after the opening quarter, but UMHB gained its first lead of the contest with 5:21 left in the first half, as Lauren Baker drove to the lane for a layup and a 35-33 lead.
In addition to Rosborough’s exceptional offensive effort, Baker also had a memorable performance, scoring 21 points. It is a new career-high for the senior, who shot 8-of-13 from the field.
By the 1:56 mark, the Warhawks retook the advantage, leading 46-42. But an 11-2 scoring spurt down the stretch of the second quarter saw UMHB take a 53-48 lead into halftime and never look back. Highlighting that run was a three-point play from Josie Bruder, who was fouled on a layup with 54 seconds left, and made the free throw that followed. Bruder tied for the team-high in rebounds, with nine, including six on the offensive end, and added nine points in the victorious effort.
“Josie Bruder stepped up today,” Novak-Lenoir said postgame. “[She] gave us consistent and good energy on both ends of the floor.”
UMHB then outscored McMurry 28-24 in the third quarter and 27-24 in the fourth, as the Crusaders closed their victory. Notably, The Cru turned the ball over just three times in the second half, maximizing their offensive efficiency, and in the game as a whole, UMHB recorded just five turnovers.
Conversely, McMurry had 13 turnovers over the final two quarters, and the Warhawks’ 21 total turnovers in the contest led to 24 of UMHB’s points.
UMHB also tallied 23 offensive rebounds in the victory, leading to 26 second-chance points for The Cru.
McMurry had a solid offensive day of its own, shooting for a season-best 56.9 percent, as Emily Holland scored 28 points and Kylie Flippin added 25. After battling a high-octane offense in Hardin-Simmons on Thursday, the Warhawks provided yet another valuable test for UMHB on the defensive end. While 96 points is the most the Crusaders have allowed in a game this season, Novak-Lenoir noted her team’s effort to limit McMurry’s runs and maintain separation late.
“We didn’t play defense like I would like to see today, but we came together when they went on runs and figured out a way to bounce back,” Novak-Lenoir added.
The victory closes a critical road trip for UMHB in which the Crusaders beat the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the ASC, staying perfect in the league play. UMHB returns to action in Belton on Jan. 20, hosting Concordia (TX) in a 1 p.m. matchup.
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