WALLA WALLA, Wash. — On a night that saw Eli Beard put up a career-best 38 points, UMHB men’s basketball held onto its lead despite a late push from Whitman, and earned its eighth-straight victory, 76-70.
UMHB led 44-37 at the half, though Whitman came within four points of The Cru’s lead on Milos Serenac’s jumper with 38 seconds to go. The Cru, despite an untimely turnover and a missed free throw, forced Whitman into back-to-back missed shots. Beard swished two free throws at the 10-second mark, sealing the win.
The Cru is now 8-1 overall and is 4-1 this season in true road games.
Key Player
Beard scored UMHB’s first 11 points and was a problem for the Whitman defense all evening, en route to his career-high scoring effort. It marked the first 30-point game in his two seasons at UMHB, as he shot for an exceptionally-high shooting percentage, going 6-of-7 from 3-point range and 12-of-15 from the field (80%). The native of Big Sandy, Texas was also 8-of-8 at the free throw line and led The Cru with five steals.
Key Moment
Aside from the drama and back-and-forth of the game’s final minute, UMHB’s 8-2 run in the first three minutes of the second half proved to be crucial in building up a lead that kept the Blues just one step behind The Cru for much of the final 20 minutes. Four different Crusaders scored in that span, with the run sparked by Josh Goings’ layup on UMHB’s first possession. The Crusaders converted on each of their first four shots of the half, going up 52-39 on Ryan Pondant’s layup off an assist from Beard.
Key Stat
UMHB scored 44 of its 76 points in the paint, compared to just 18 paint points for the Blues. While Whitman converted on 13 3-pointers, it took the Blues 37 attempts to do so. Meanwhile, The Cru was relentless in creating high-percentage opportunities from short-range on driving layups and jump shots, especially in the first half.
Up Next
UMHB stays in Walla Walla for a second game on Saturday, facing Cal Lutheran in a neutral court duel at 5 p.m. CT. The Kingsmen are 4-2 overall and received the second-most points of any unranked team in Monday’s D3hoops.com Top 25 poll.
Check back on TrueToTheCru.com early Saturday morning for a more detailed and in-depth postgame story, including postgame insight from UMHB head coach Clif Carroll.
