BELTON, Texas-Alone atop the American Southwest Conference standings, the UMHB women’s basketball team returns to its home court, set to face Concordia (TX) on Saturday afternoon at the Mayborn Campus Center. UMHB will be looking for its 16th consecutive victory.
Setting the Stage
Concordia (TX) (3-12, 2-6 ASC) at No. 15/17 Mary Hardin-Baylor (15-1, 8-0 ASC)
Date/Time: January 20, 1:00 p.m. CT
Location: Belton, Texas (Mayborn Campus Center)
Follow the action
WATCH/LISTEN: Jordan Cox (play-by-play) and Carey Leech (color) will broadcast the game on cruathletics.com.
LIVE STATS: Find live stats on cruathletics.com.
The Series
UMHB has won 13 straight meetings with the Tornadoes entering Saturday’s matchup. The Cru is 33-10 against Concordia since the 2003-04 season and 17-4 in that span in games played in Belton. This marks the final time UMHB and Concordia face off in regular season conference play, with Concordia set to join the SCAC in 2024-25.
In the first meeting this season, played in Austin on December 3, UMHB emerged with a 78-70 victory in the conference opener.
Scouting Concordia
Concordia holds just two ASC wins thus far, having beaten ETBU on Dec. 7 and Ozarks on Jan. 6. Both games came at home, as the Tornadoes are winless on the road in six games this season. Concordia enters Saturday’s duel in Belton on a two-game losing skid, having fallen in Abilene a week ago to McMurry, 86-68, and Hardin-Simmons, 103-58.
Sophomore Jordan Bravo is at the center of the Tornadoes’ offensive attack, having started in 14 of Concordia’s 15 games, and averaging a team-high 25.8 minutes per game. Bravo is the only player on the roster averaging double figures in points, at 11.1, but has not recorded a double-digit scoring performance since scoring 30 points against Sul Ross State on Dec. 18. Bravo did not play against Hardin-Simmons last Saturday, and her availability for this Saturday’s duel at UMHB is unknown.
Forward Chelsea Cogburn brings a presence in the frontcourt for Concordia, as she averages 6.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, and has started in all 15 of the Tornadoes’ games this season. Freshman Sophia Read is averaging 24.3 minutes per game, and has stepped up in just six games for Concordia. Read has started each of Concordia’s last three contests and is averaging 11.3 points per game in that span.
A look at The Cru
UMHB is the frontrunner to claim the ASC title, and holds a two-game lead in the standings ahead of Hardin-Simmons and McMurry, who are tied for second, at 6-2. With a perfect 8-0 record in league play, the Crusaders are on a roll and ranked No. 15 in the nation by D3hoops.com and No. 17 by the WBCA. In her first year as head coach, Katie Novak-Lenoir is certainly in the national coach of the year conversation, especially as UMHB’s win streak continues progressing.
The Cru comes into this matchup after a pair of high-scoring wins over HSU and McMurry a week ago on the road, with UMHB fighting back from double-digit deficits in both cases. Including Saturday’s game, five of The Cru’s final nine regular season matchups will be contested in Belton, where UMHB is 5-0 this season.
Arieona Rosborough is the reigning USBWA National D-III Player of the Week and the league’s top scorer, at 21.3 points per game. The junior guard scored 30 or more points in each of UMHB’s wins last week and currently ranks No. 1 in the ASC in field goal percentage (46.4%). Rosborough is also No. 2 in the country in free throws made this season, with 109, and is No. 2 in the ASC in free throw percentage (85.2%).
An efficient and balanced offensive team, UMHB has seven players averaging at least 5.0 points per game. Ashley Faux is the Crusaders’ leading rebounder, with 7.0 boards per contest, and Jaycie Brisco and Rosborough each have more than 30 steals already on the season.
Keys to Success
Winning the battle on the boards: The No. 1 rebounding team in the ASC with 47.1 boards per game, UMHB holds a significant advantage over Concordia in that category. The Tornadoes average just 33.7 boards per contest, and with UMHB’s presence on the boards, expect The Cru to utilize that advantage, especially on the offensive end. Concordia ranks No. 10 in the ASC in defensive rebounding, while UMHB is fourth in the nation in offensive boards per game.
Defensive Pressure: UMHB’s ability to push the pace in transition is helped by forced turnovers, which are often a direct result of aggressive ball pressure. The Crusaders are No. 2 in the league in steals (12.19 steals/game), and one of the best fast-break teams in the ASC. Against McMurry, UMHB tallied 23 fast-break points and 24 points off turnovers.
Consistency at line: The Crusaders are the league’s best free throw shooting team, at 75.4 percent from the line, and in their last three games, UMHB shot above 72 percent. Opponents average 13.9 made free throws per game against Concordia, which should bode well for The Cru. If UMHB gets to the line consistently, the Crusaders should have no problem gaining separation that way.
Numbers Watch
- Rosborough enters Saturday’s game with 109 made free throws this season. She is just two free throws away from tying her previous career-best of 111 in a single season, and is just 11 free throws away from reaching the No. 3 mark in program history for made free throws in a season.
- UMHB is one win away from tying the second-longest winning streak in program history, set in 2009-10. The program’s longest win streak as a D-III program came when The Cru won 20 straight in 2021-22.
- The Crusaders are currently five wins away from earning the program’s fifth 20-win season, with the last 20-win campaign having come in 2021-22.
Up Next
UMHB heads to East Texas next week, facing ETBU on Thursday night in Marshall and LeTourneau on Saturday in Longview.
