Photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru
BELTON–The matchups between ETBU and UMHB, especially over the last two years, have been anchored in intensity. Even more so in the postseason, when the alternative to winning is ending the season right then and there.
In an ASC quarterfinal duel on Tuesday night, the league’s two preseason favorites met to determine who would move on to Abilene, where the conference semifinals await. And it yielded yet another contest that had the crowd very much engaged by the time the clock ticked under a minute.
With 9.5 seconds left, even after a missed free throw and a jumper that ended up off-the-mark, ETBU had an opportunity, with the ball, but trailing 70-65. Jayden Williams caught the inbounds pass and fired up a 3-pointer. No good. UMHB’s Josh Goings pulled down the rebound as the home crowd let out a roar.
The rebound effectively sealed a 71-65 victory for The Cru, who have now beaten ETBU in eight straight meetings in Belton. It sets up a rematch for UMHB with top-seeded Hardin-Simmons, who earned a quarterfinal bye and is hosting the ASC semifinals and championship game.
“We’re going to put a gameplan together and execute,” UMHB head coach Clif Carroll said when asked about the matchup ahead. “It’s always tough when you get into the conference tournament and have to play the host on their floor.”
Of course, UMHB beat Hardin-Simmons, 110-91, just three days ago in the regular season finale in Belton. But as much as offense seemed to flow easily in that high-scoring victory, the opposite was true for the most part on Tuesday night. Both ETBU and UMHB had difficulty in finding consistent offense in a physical contest that led to several key defensive plays, especially in the second half.
In the process, The Cru proved it could win games in different ways; a necessity come tournament time.
“I was a little disappointed in the first half,” Carroll noted postgame. “East Texas really played hard. When you come off a game like we had Saturday, where it’s pretty easy because we made shots, and all of a sudden our shots aren’t falling, [it’s challenging].
“East Texas was getting after it. We really had to come in here at halftime and really adjust our attitude and play a little harder.”
ETBU took a 40-35 lead at the half, having extended its advantage to as many as nine points on a Jayden Williams 3-pointer with 5:33 left. But UMHB battled back in the second half, cutting the deficit to three points on three separate occasions. Finally, Josiah Johnson scored off a play that originated on the defensive end, with Eli Beard’s steal turning into a layup. That made ETBU’s lead just two, 49-47, and at the 12:44 mark, Johnson came through again, connecting on a 3-pointer.
The 3-point shot—one of three made buckets from beyond the arc for Johnson—was made possible by a key offensive rebound from Goings, who dished to Johnson on the left wing. ETBU quickly erased UMHB’s 50-49 lead, scoring the game’s next four points, but Johnson again took it back with three straight made free throws less than two minutes later.
Then came a breakthrough.
After ETBU knotted the score at 54 apiece, Zachary Engels put UMHB in front, 56-54, with a score. Then came a shot clock violation against the Tigers, and Johnson promptly made ETBU pay, connecting on a step-back 3-pointer that brought out a loud cheer out of the Crusader faithful. By the time Goings stole the ball in transition from Williams and Beard finished the fast-break with a layup, UMHB found itself leading, 61-54. A 7-0 run. It ended up as UMHB’s largest scoring spurt of the evening.
“We needed to get out and run,” Carroll said. “Their halfcourt set defense is really good and they had a couple good matchups for Jo, which made it tough for him today. If we can get out and go and advance the ball, it loosens them up a little bit.”
While ETBU had six more points in the paint, seven more bench points, and turned the ball over one fewer time, UMHB took advantage of its opportunities off turnovers. As Carroll referenced, creating quick changes in possession—such as Goings’ steal to set up Beard’s layup in the midst of the 7-0 run—served the Crusaders well. UMHB tallied 17 points off ETBU’s 14 turnovers, compared to just nine points off turnovers for the Tigers.
The visitors from Marshall came all the way back, and twice tied the score in the final 5:10, but never regained the lead. While Johnson had 25 points, and surpassed the career 2,500-point mark, open shots proved difficult to find. Yet, UMHB found a way to stay in control. The Cru used a string of three consecutive defensive stops, along with four points from Beard and two from Day, and gained a six-point lead with 1:14 left.
Incredibly, Carroll has faced ETBU 10 times throughout his four-year tenure in Belton, with eight of those meetings decided by single digits.
Tuesday night was no different than the previous seven, except for the fact of the setting in which it was played. A year prior, an NCAA Tournament duel between the programs ended with Johnson swishing a buzzer-beating 3-pointer, sending UMHB to the Sweet 16.
A Sweet 16 appearance may not have been on the line in this scenario, but that did not change much. Winning on Tuesday night gave UMHB a chance to extend its season by a single game, the same as winning any NCAA Tournament game does. It allows The Cru one more chance to step on the court within this campaign. And to do it against an opponent physically tough as ETBU, with the history the two programs have shared in recent seasons, only added to the significance.
“[ETBU head coach] Chris Lovell does a great job,” Carroll said. “He has his teams ready to play. He’s got tough, physical, athletic guys that play hard. They’re a tough matchup. It’s why we’ve been 50/50 [with them] and back-and-forth. We’ve been fortunate to get them in the playoffs at home. That’s been big.”
The game ahead figures to be just as much of a challenge for UMHB, who is 16-9 overall and holds a seven-game win streak. Playing on HSU’s home court adds another element as well, and the Cowboys will certainly be looking to avenge Saturday’s defeat in Belton.
“This is a confident group,” Carroll noted, when talking about the upcoming semifinal tilt. “They’re seasoned and playing well. We have to take the right mindset there and play with a level of toughness and a level of execution. I like our chances.”
UMHB tips off on Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Hardin-Simmons (19-6) at the Mabee Complex in Abilene.
UMHB stat leaders
- Points: Josiah Johnson (25), Eli Beard (20), Zachary Engels (8)
- Rebounds: Josiah Johnson (10), Jerry Day (5)
- Assists: Eli Beard (3), Connor Zamiara (2), Josiah Johnson (2), Josh Goings (2)
Game Notes
- UMHB will play an ASC semifinal matchup for the fourth straight season when The Cru takes the court in Abilene on Friday.
- According to the NCAA Division III men’s basketball record book, Josiah Johnson is just the 14th player in Division III history to score 2,500 points in a career.
- Johnson is the first Division III player to accomplish the feat since Mount St. Mary standout Mike Hoyt (2004-2007) did so 17 years ago.
- Johnson is just the fourth D-III player in the 21st century to reach 2,500 career points.
- He has now tallied 96 career games in double figures.
- The Cru is now 7-1 under Clif Carroll in postseason games played in Belton.
