Photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru/Backwards Hat Photography
BELTON — UMHB women’s basketball knew its tough opening weekend slate would provide its fair share of challenges. Whitman proved that on Friday night.
Despite using a brand-new starting five—with all five starters making their first collegiate start—the Blues did not falter when their lead was put to the test down the stretch. UMHB did all it could to pull even with the West Coast visitors, but time ran out on the comeback bid, as Whitman held on for a 57-53 win on the opening night of the 2025-26 season.
Key Moment
The Blues led from wire-to-wire, putting together a 9-0 run that stretched the advantage to 15-4 late in the opening quarter, and then closed the second quarter with five unanswered points for a commanding 34-20 halftime lead. But UMHB climbed all the way back behind the play of senior guard Rachel Okoye and a 13-0 run late in the third quarter, as the defense held Whitman to eight straight empty possessions and forced four turnovers while the offense finally found traction.
That run cut the deficit to five, and by the 6:53 mark of the fourth, a pair of free throws from Okoye sliced the Blues’ lead to 44-42. UMHB found itself on the cusp of a memorable comeback, the momentum inside the Mayborn Campus Center having already shifted in their favor.
But Whitman had other ideas. The Blues forced a missed jumper and followed by capitalizing on a UMHB turnover with Holly Morgan’s short-range jumper on the other end. That stop-and-score sparked an 8-2 run for the Blues that lasted until the 1:30 mark, as UMHB fell back into an offensive lull, turning it over four times and going 0-for-3 from the field. Briana Andrade’s free throw with 1:41 left put Whitman up 52-44, a deficit that proved to be just a little too large for The Cru to overcome. Amari Welch hit a 3 for The Cru with eight-tenths of a second left, but a pair of free throws from Morgan on the other end put the game away.
Impactful contributors
Rachel Okoye stepped up in the second half as UMHB made its comeback bid, scoring 15 points over the final two quarters, including seven in The Cru’s 13-0 run. The senior guard displayed her veteran presence with a team-high 23 points and 12 rebounds, her first career double-double as a Crusader. The Houston native played 37 minutes, and delivered four of UMHB’s final eight points in the closing minutes.
For Whitman, Holly Morgan was the key catalyst on offense all night. The junior guard from New Zealand was Whitman’s only returner who averaged above 20 minutes/game in 2024-25, and she took charge with 17 points, shooting 6-of-13 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free throw line. The Blues also got eight points, seven rebounds, and three assists from Briana Andrade.
The number to know
UMHB turned the ball over 24 times, several of which were unforced, leading to 18 of Whitman’s points. Those giveaways were a critical part of each of Whitman’s scoring runs across both halves, and contributed significantly to the offensive lulls UMHB battled over the course of the contest. Whitman, comparatively, had 19 turnovers, though The Cru tallied just 10 points from those takeaways.
What’s Next?
UMHB hosts Emory, a nationally-respected program from Atlanta, Georgia and the University Athletic Association, for a Sunday afternoon duel in non-conference action. The 12 p.m. matchup at the Mayborn Campus Center will be the second meeting between the two in the last four seasons.
