Recap: UMHB men’s basketball falls to Hardin-Simmons in ASC Tournament final

MARSHALL, Texas — Try as they might, the shots wouldn’t fall for Mary Hardin-Baylor through the second half on Saturday afternoon. 

Appearing in the ASC Tournament final for the second year in a row, The Cru shot just 8-of-33 down the stretch of the second half, unable to close the gap against conference title favorite Hardin-Simmons. HSU, while not much better, going 13-of-33 in the final 20 minutes, made enough to gain separation as the Cowboys held on for a 73-62 win. 

HSU earns the ASC’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with the victory, while UMHB’s season comes to a conclusion at 15-11 overall. 

With 3:01 left, Maurice Pinnock converted a free throw that cut the deficit to single digits, 69-60. It gave UMHB hope, with The Cru having trimmed the deficit from 17 to nine in the span of just over five minutes, and after coming up with a defensive stop, Zach May grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back off the glass. The second-chance score cut the HSU lead to 69-62, as UMHB gained momentum going into the final 2:30. 

But as it turned out, it was as close as UMHB would get. The Cru went scoreless from that point on—a span of two minutes, 18 seconds—and made just one of their final 15 shots from the field. HSU put the game away with stops on the defensive end, adding an exclamation point on the victory with Chris Bryant’s fast-break dunk in the closing seconds. 

UMHB held HSU well below it’s 82.1 scoring average in the loss, similar to last Thursday’s 72-71 loss to the Cowboys. But the Crusaders couldn’t take advantage of the defensive stops, shooting for their second-lowest mark of the season from 3-point range (22.2%). They finished 4-of-18 from beyond the arc, and were 30.3% from the field, the lowest percentage in 26 games this season. 

For much of the contest, The Cru stayed close with the Cowboys. With 15:09 left in the first half, UMHB erased HSU’s 8-4 lead and took a 10-8 advantage on a jumper from Eli Beard, coming off a record-breaking 44-point performance in Friday’s semifinal. An 8-0 spurt from HSU immediately followed, putting the visitors from Abilene back in front. 

UMHB again charged back, tying the score at 23 apiece on Connor Zamiara’s floater with 4:48 until halftime. But HSU had an answer, as Cooper Peterson connected on his second 3 of the half, the front end of a 5-0 run that pushed the Cowboys’ lead to 28-23. UMHB cut the deficit back to one on a free throw from Beard with 1:55 left, but another 5-0 spurt from HSU widened the gap. HSU led 34-31 at the half, with The Cru led by 10 points apiece from Pinnock and Beard at that point. 

Over the course of the second half, Pinnock put 13 points on the board, taking charge as HSU’s defense locked in on Beard. Eight of those 13 came in the first 2:02 of the half, with Pinnock hitting a jumper, converting on three-point play that included a layup and free throw, and knocking down a 3 by the 17:48 mark. That stretch from the senior guard gave UMHB back the lead, 39-38, and the momentum in the neutral court matchup. 

But it turned out to be the last lead UMHB held. A 9-0 run from HSU quickly changed the outlook, and by the 14:24 mark, a pair of Silas Davis free throws gave the Cowboys a double-digit advantage. For every success The Cru had offensively, it seemed HSU responded on the ensuing possession with an answer, keeping the lead above seven until the final buzzer. 

After Beard’s 3 with 11:24 to go, DJ Jones connected on a 3 of his own at the 11-minute mark, sparking a 10-0 run that put HSU in firm control. Jones had eight of the 10 points, as the Cowboys went up 65-48 with 9:45 left. It was simply too much ground for UMHB to overcome, and more so on a day when the Crusaders converted on just two second-half 3s. 

Saturday’s conference tournament finale marked the final game for a number of UMHB seniors, including Pinnock and Beard, who led the team with 23 and 16 points, respectively. Both Beard and Pinnock were named to the ASC’s All-Tournament Team following the contest. Jerry Day Jr., who grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds, also wrapped up his career as a two-sport athlete for The Cru. 

Saturday was also Clif Carroll’s final contest as UMHB’s head coach, with the news that he will not be retained for the 2025-26 season having broken early in the week. Carroll leaves Belton with a record of 99-34, having taken The Cru to three ASC Tournament title games and two NCAA Tournaments.