RICHARDSON, Texas — After going 16 days without stepping on the court for a game, UMHB Men’s Basketball returned to action inside the UTD Activity Center on Thursday night, coming up just short in a 72-69 loss.
The Cru battled back from a 63-54 deficit with 7:46 left in the second half, tying the score at 69-69 as the clock ticked away into the final minute. Ultimately, UTD took back the lead and UMHB couldn’t counter on its ensuing possession, giving the Comets their fifth-straight win.
The loss doesn’t affect UMHB’s record for the NCAA Power Index (NPI) ranking (used for NCAA Tournament selection and seeding), though The Cru’s overall record drops to 11-4. UTD is now 10-6 overall.
Key Contributors
Freshman Peyton Dulin led UTD with 22 points, shooting 5-of-11 from beyond the arc while adding five rebounds and three assists. It marked a career-high for Dulin, who played a team-high 32 minutes.
Jerry Day Jr. put up one of the best offensive performances of his UMHB basketball career, as the two-sport standout had a career-best 13 points, shooting 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. The West Monroe, Louisiana native accounted for 75% of The Cru’s 3-point production, pulled down a team-best seven rebounds, and dished out a pair of assists.
Game-Shifting moment
The game was back-and-forth down the stretch, with the score tied three times in the final 3:29 and twice in the final 1:30. Josh Goings knotted the game at 69 apiece on a jumper with 49 seconds left, but Austin Page answered for the Comets at the 28-second mark. Zach Spitzer drove along the baseline before flipping the ball to Page in the paint, who scored through contact on a layup, giving UTD a 71-69 lead. UMHB had two chances on the other end to even the score, but failed to convert.
Noteworthy stat
UMHB turned the ball over just 10 times, but UTD took advantage, scoring 17 points off turnovers in the win. The Comets were 47.3% from the field, including 12-of-22 over the final 20 minutes, recording their highest shooting percentage against an NCAA opponent since going 50% from the field in a Dec. 15 win over Eckerd.
What’s Next?
UMHB heads into its American Southwest Conference opener at home next Thursday, hosting ETBU in a 7:30 p.m. duel at the Mayborn Campus Center. The Tigers dropped their ASC opener on Thursday to Hardin-Simmons by a slim 80-75 margin. ETBU is 4-13 overall and is in the midst of a three-game losing skid.
Return to TrueToTheCru.com on Friday morning for Riley Zayas’ updated game recap with more details and postgame thoughts from Cru head coach Clif Carroll.
