CLARKSVILLE, Arkansas-A pair of clutch free throws with three seconds left from Josiah Johnson lifted the UMHB men’s basketball team to its fourth-straight win on Saturday afternoon, as The Cru defeated Ozarks, 105-103, in overtime.
With 56 seconds left in overtime, Eli Beard put UMHB ahead, 102-101, with a key 3-pointer, and technical fouls against both UMHB’s Jerry Day Jr. and Ozarks’ Josh Ukpe immediately followed, heightening the intensity of the moment. Upke made both free throws, while Day made one of two, tying the score at 103 apiece.
As the clock wound down, Upke missed a go-ahead layup with 11 seconds left, as the ball hung on the rim for a full second, but did not fall through. Zachary Engels grabbed a defensive rebound and on the other end, Beard got the ball to Johnson, who drove towards the rim. Johnson was fouled with 3.2 seconds left, and made both free throws, and a missed runner from the Eagles at the buzzer sealed UMHB’s victory.
Johnson led The Cru with 30 points, going a perfect 14-of-14 at the free throw line. Beard added 27 points, highlighted by five 3-pointers.
UMHB overcame a 46-44 halftime deficit to earn its second road win of the week, and is now 13-9 overall. The Crusaders are now 8-6 in ASC play, and sit ahead of ETBU, who is also 8-6, in the league standings. UMHB is currently fourth in the standings, and in-line to host an ASC Tournament quarterfinal.
A back-and-forth first half saw a number of lead changes in the first 10 minutes before Ozarks took control with an 11-2 run that yielded a 30-21 lead. With 4:37 left in the half, the Eagles took a 39-33 advantage, but UMHB countered by scoring the next seven points and retook the lead, 40-39, on Engels’ second free throw.
Ozarks’ Justice Marmara scored the final three points of the half, en route to the hosts’ two-point lead at the intermission.
The second half played out in similar fashion, with UMHB taking an early 48-46 lead out of the gate on a Josh Goings layup. In total, the first 10 minutes of the second period saw six lead changes, though Ozarks went up by double digits for the first time on a three-point play by Tim Eldridge with 10:10 remaining in regulation, 68-58.
UMHB slowly clawed back, and cut the deficit to two points just over two minutes later. The Eagles held the lead until Engels scored with 2:05 left, putting UMHB up 84-83, and the two sides exchanged scores down the stretch, with Eldridge knotting the score at 90 apiece with 28 seconds to go on a timely jumper.
That led to the overtime period, as the Crusaders walked away with the hard-earned victory, and closed their regular season road schedule with a 2-0 week.
Game Notes
- The contest marked UMHB’s final ASC meeting against Ozarks, who departs for the SCAC next season. In 26 games since the 2002-03 season, UMHB led the series, 20-6.
- UMHB has now won nine straight duels against the Eagles, dating back to a Dec. 14, 2017 win in Clarksville.
- Johnson registered his fifth 30-plus point performance of the season, and the senior guard has now scored 30 or more points in three of his last five games for The Cru.
- Johnson has now recorded 27 30-plus point games during his four-year career with UMHB.
- UMHB shot 43.9 percent (29-of-66) from the field, marking the Crusaders’ second-straight game with a shooting percentage of at least 40 percent.
- On eight occasions this season, UMHB has shot 40 percent or better in consecutive games.
- The Crusaders were 13-of-30 from 3-point range (43.3 percent), which is tied for the most 3-pointers made in a single game this season.
- It also marked UMHB’s third-best shooting percentage from beyond the arc in a single game this season.
Up Next
UMHB returns to the Mayborn Campus Center for the final week of the regular season, facing McMurry (9-14, 3-11 ASC) on Thursday night and Hardin-Simmons (18-5, 11-3 ASC) on Saturday.
