Above photo: Josie Bruder had a team-high 23 points for UMHB on Wednesday (file photo by Luke Zayas)
BELTON — Facing a quality opponent for the second straight day at the Cru Classic, fatigue and a lack of depth caught up with UMHB, as McMurry put together a 25-9 run in the fourth quarter en route to a 74-64 victory for the Warhawks on Wednesday evening.
The Cru was just 1-of-9 from the field over the final five minutes while McMurry went 4-of-5. That final stretch was the difference in a game UMHB that led for much of the second and third quarters, as the Crusaders simply struggled to keep pace. Just seven UMHB players saw action for the second consecutive contest, with four playing at least 31 minutes.
McMurry (5-1) was the lone team to go 2-0 at the four-team Cru Classic, as UMHB (8-3) and ETBU (9-2) each split their two games, and No. 2-ranked Wartburg (8-2) left with a surprising 0-2 mark at the event.
Impact Player
Josie Bruder did all she could to keep UMHB in it, putting up 23 points off the bench. It was a new career-high for the junior forward, who was 11-of-13 at the free throw line and grabbed five rebounds as well. Bruder opened the game shooting 4-for-6 in the first two quarters, and led The Cru with 13 points in the first half.
Key Moment
UMHB went up 61-58 with under five minutes left on Karlee Cronk’s offensive rebound putback, but a 3-pointer from Kylie Flippin sparked McMurry’s biggest run of the contest. The Warhawks scored the next 11 points, as The Cru struggled to counter. Holland had eight of those 11 points, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers that pushed McMurry’s lead to 69-61 with 2:34 to go. The Warhawks never looked back from that point on, as it remained a two possession game until the final buzzer.
Key Stat
In a game where both sides stuck primarily to zone defense, 3-point shooting played a major factor in the way it unfolded. Unable to penetrate McMurry’s zone, UMHB settled for 14 3s in the second half, and went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter. Comparitively, McMurry was 4-for-7 from 3-point range in the last 10 minutes, and 11-of-30 for the game.
Quotable
UMHB head coach Katie Novak-Lenoir: “There was definitely some mental and physical fatigue, for sure. I told them, there’s no excuse, both teams are playing back-to-back. But we have had a couple rough weeks, even practice-wise, of being very low numbers. I feel like the physical [aspect] was affecting us being more aggressive, knowing that we weren’t that deep today.”
McMurry head coach Drew Long: “Both ETBU and UMHB are really good basketball teams and have different styles, so it’s hard to prepare for both in a short turnaround time. But that’s one thing we talked about going back in the locker room. We thought UMHB was the aggressor in the first half, we thought they were the tougher team, and we really challenged our girls to rise to the occasion.”
Up Next
UMHB has an extended break for the holidays before returning to the court in Seguin, facing Texas Lutheran on Dec. 29. The Cru won the first meeting of the season with TLU in Belton, 66-56, on Dec. 7.
