MARSHALL, Texas — Coming into Saturday, it was clear that there was plenty that had to go right for UMHB women’s basketball to snap ETBU’s six-game ASC win streak and walk away with its biggest road win of the season.
Instead, it seemed possession after possession ended up with the wrong result, stacking upon each other as ETBU’s lead grew larger. The offense was particularly troublesome, as UMHB shot for a season-low 22.6 percent and went 2-of-21 from 3-point range, unable to find a rhythm for most of the game’s 40 minutes.
The result was a 32-point defeat, as ETBU clinched the ASC regular season title in its 78-46 victory. It marked the largest margin of victory for a UMHB opponent this season, surpassing Colorado College’s 23-point win on Nov. 29. The Cru are now 15-8, and 4-2 in American Southwest Conference play.
“Facing adversity is part of the game,” UMHB head coach Katie Novak-Lenoir said afterwards. “Today, ETBU played a great, full game. We really struggled with shot selection and foul trouble. It’s an opportunity to learn from across the board, get better, and finish conference play strong next week at home.”
The foul trouble Novak-Lenoir referenced was particularly problematic. Five Crusaders finished the game with three or more fouls, and starting guards Rachel Okoye and Amillion Fowler each fouled out, neither having played more than 23 minutes. The void left by Okoye and Fowler’s absence on the floor was intensified by the fact that guard Jaycie Brisco, the team’s leading rebounder and fourth-leading scorer, was unavailable on Saturday.
Without Brisco, and with Okoye and Fowler on the floor inconsistently as the second half progressed, UMHB’s backcourt suffered. A lack of depth on the perimeter proved to be one of multiple challenges The Cru was forced to contend with, especially in facing the ASC’s top 3-point shooting attack. It also affected UMHB’s offensive flow, leading to the program’s lowest shooting percentage in a game within the last decade.
The foul trouble also sent ETBU to the free throw line often throughout the contest, as the Tigers reached the bonus (which comes after the opponent picks up five fouls, and results in 2 free throws after every ensuing foul) early in each quarter. ETBU tied its season-high for free throws made, converting on 28 of 40 attempts at the charity stripe, including a 10-of-14 stretch as part of the Tigers’ 17-9 third quarter run. Coming into the contest, UMHB had sent just three of its prior opponents to the line more than 25 times, with only one of those—a 76-43 win over Nebraska Wesleyan—exceeding 30.
While UMHB gained the early edge, going up 9-4 with 5:41 in the opening quarter on a jumper from Karlee Cronk, ETBU quickly reversed the momentum. The Cru’s 5-0 run was followed by 10 unanswered points from the hosts, capped by Kadia Ward’s short-range shot for a 14-9 advantage. By the end of the first quarter, ETBU led 22-11, having closed the final three minutes on an 8-2 spurt, highlighted by five points from freshman sharpshooter Madison Hurta.
Hurta finished the day with a game-high 24 points, repeatedly finding open 3-point shots against UMHB’s zone defense. The New Braunfels native came in averaging 12.0 points per game, but struggled in her first meeting against UMHB on Jan. 23, going just 1-of-3 from beyond the arc. One of the ASC’s top 3-point shooters, she proved to be much more of an offensive weapon in her second go-around against The Cru, connecting on six of her eight shots from long-range. Half of those came in the fourth quarter, as ETBU closed the game by scoring 22 of the final 31 points.
The second half was really the point at which everything shifted in ETBU’s direction, considering The Cru had re-centered in the second quarter, and tied the Tigers, 17-17, in the 10-minute stretch before halftime. ETBU came out of the intermission and made its statement on defense, holding The Cru to back-to-back single-digit quarters. For context, it marked the first time this season that an opponent limited UMHB to multiple quarters below 10 points in a single contest.
Katelen Brooks finished as UMHB’s lone double-digit scorer, putting up 12 points, with seven of those in the second quarter. Karlee Cronk pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
There is little time to dwell on the disappointment of the regular season road finale, considering UMHB turns around and hosts Hardin-Simmons on Thursday night in Belton. HSU is a half-game back from UMHB in the ASC standings, at 4-3, and looking to avenge its 74-68 loss to The Cru in Abilene on Feb. 1. HSU is 18-5 overall, and spent multiple weeks in the D3hoops.com Top 25 earlier in the season.
The Crusaders then close the regular season against Howard Payne next Saturday before heading back to Marshall for an ASC Tournament semifinal on Feb. 28.
| Box Score | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final |
| UMHB | 11 | 17 | 9 | 9 | 46 |
| ETBU | 22 | 17 | 17 | 22 | 78 |
