WALLA WALLA, Wash. — It seems that Eli Beard’s senior season couldn’t have started much better from an offensive standpoint.
The prolific guard entered Friday night’s road duel at Whitman with five 20-point performances and shooting 48.8% from the field, having contributed significantly to The Cru’s seven-game win streak. But against Whitman, Beard didn’t just pass the 20-point mark. He crossed the 30-point mark as well, and nearly reached 40, putting up a career-high 38 points in UMHB’s 76-70 win over the Blues. And he did it by taking just 15 shots.
“Eli’s a ball of energy,” UMHB head coach Clif Carroll said postgame. “The first three possessions he got loose. [Whitman] tried to put an end to it, but Eli’s the kind of guy that when you let him get rolling like that, you’re going to have a tough night. He can score it a lot of different ways.”
Whitman found that out early. And often. Beard had UMHB’s first 11 points, giving The Cru a 9-3 advantage in the first 2:01. He hit three straight 3s, then added a layup that broke a 9-9 tie after the Blues’ offense found its footing.
The Big Sandy, Texas product went on to shoot 12-of-15 from the field and 6-of-7 from 3-point range, a shooting line almost unheard of, especially for a guard. For good measure, Beard also finished a perfect 8-of-8 at the free throw line, converting on a pair of key free throws with 10 seconds left that extended UMHB’s lead to six.
“It’s always good to have guards that can go get buckets like that,” Carroll added. “[Maurice Pinnock] had the game with 32 against St. Thomas, obviously Josh [Goings] has been pretty good for us, and then Coco Rose, who sat out tonight with a little bit of an injury is dangerous too. He’s capable of getting 30 also. It’s fun when you start adding those other pieces who are good players, like [wing] Zach Engels. Those guys can get it going in a hurry. We’re a dangerous offensive team.”
Friday night wasn’t the first time UMHB displayed that as The Cru is off to an 8-1 start, its lone loss coming at then-No. 1 Trine on opening weekend. Since that performance, they’ve won four straight true road games, and eight consecutive contests overall. Playing—and winning—away from Belton, as they also have a neutral court victory over Heidelberg on their resume, has been a notable trait early on. Especially when you consider that all four of the Crusaders’ games vs D-III opponents away from the Mayborn Campus Center have been decided by single digits.
“We’ve stuck together pretty tough, dealing with some injuries and missing pieces that would’ve helped tonight,” Carroll noted. “So adjusting to new lineups, adjusting to new roles, I’m proud of the guys.”
Whitman certainly made UMHB earn the win. Far better than what their 2-5 record reveals, the Blues converted on 13 3s and rallied late, slicing UMHB’s 10-point lead with 4:29 left to just four by the 38-second mark. The Cru went scoreless from the field, in fact, over the final 3:09, scoring just two points in the last three minutes on Beard’s free throws with 10 seconds to go.
Whitman put together a 5-0 run, but in a credit to UMHB’s defensive effort, the Blues also struggled down the stretch. They closed the game just 1-of-8 from the field. Regardless, much like Sunday’s overtime win at McMurry, UMHB saw its lead nearly evaporate with a few untimely turnovers and missed short-range shots, leaving the door open for a Whitman comeback.
“Several times it felt like we were on the brink,” Carroll said. “We get one stop or one rebound, and then we come down and turn it over. We felt like we were close to putting it away, and just never really did.”
But as Carroll pointed out, his squad still found a way to overcome those late struggles and secure a win. It keeps the momentum rolling into Saturday afternoon’s neutral court tilt against Cal Lutheran, a guard-powered team that has reached the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons.
“We’re going to have to bring our A game, particularly shorthanded the way we are,” Carroll said of the matchup, UMHB’s second back-to-back of the season. “We had some big minutes on our legs tonight that we’re going to have to shake off. We really need to focus in and play a little better. We can’t have the self-inflicted wounds with turnovers and missed layups that we had tonight.
“Cal Lutheran is a great team, good coach, good league. We hunt games like this. They’ve got one of the best players in the country (Devon Lewis); he’s a stud. We’re going to have to do some things tomorrow that go above and beyond what we did today.”
UMHB tips off at 5 p.m. CT Saturday against Cal Lutheran on the NWC Network.
