Photo of Natalia Galvan by Luke Zayas/Backward Hat Media
BELTON — A second-quarter 3-point shooting surge from Trinity, coupled with the 27 turnovers forced by the Tigers’ pressing defense, proved costly for UMHB women’s basketball on Thursday afternoon.
Trinity (3-6) turned those takeaways into 37 points on the offensive end, and after building a 20-point halftime lead, the Tigers held on over the final two quarters, taking down The Cru, 89-62, in the finale of the UMHB Christmas Classic.
It marked a fourth-straight loss for UMHB (4-9), and a second consecutive game with no fewer than 27 turnovers, as The Cru also turned it over 31 times in Wednesday’s loss to 10th-ranked UW-Whitewater.
But even in the struggle, head coach Katie Novak-Lenoir’s young talent stepped up, playing significant minutes in the second half, a span in which UMHB tied Trinity in the third quarter, 16-16, and was outscored by just seven in the fourth. The freshman quartet of Natalia Galvan, Allie Uzzell, Pierce Scheppler, and Marissa Hernandez accounted for 51 of The Cru’s 62 points (82.2%), and 25 of its 42 rebounds.
Galvan led the way with 27 points, shooting 9-of-14 from the field, highlighted by a perfect 4-of-4 mark from 3-point range. It marked the highest-scoring performance from a Crusader since Jan. 13, 2024, when Arieona Rosborough scored 36 in a 108-96 win over McMurry. Galvan, a native of Mumford, Texas, played 35 minutes in her fifth career start, grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists in addition to her scoring prowess.
Uzzell followed up on Wednesday’s 13-point performance with 15 more against Trinity, resetting her career-high while pulling down nine rebounds, also a career-best mark. The Flatonia High School product made her second collegiate start, and saw 32 minutes of action, shooting 7-of-16.
Scheppler took charge in the second half, helping UMHB trim the 20-point halftime deficit to 14 by the midpoint of the third quarter. The Lubbock native had four points in both the third and fourth quarters in addition to a team-high 10 rebounds, as the 6’2 center played a key role in flipping the rebound margin in UMHB’s favor. Despite being out-rebounded in the opening half, The Cru finished +12 on the boards, with Scheppler’s eight second-half rebounds contributing in a big way.
The Cru battled Trinity nearly even through the opening 10 minutes, taking an early 7-4 lead on Amari Welch’s 3-pointer before the Tigers countered with a 9-0 spurt. Galvan’s jumper with just 15 seconds left in the first quarter sent the game into the second period with Trinity leading by a four-point margin.
But the second quarter was the differentiator. With 4:21 left until halftime, the game was still a single-digit contest, as another short-range score from Galvan cut Trinity’s lead to 31-23. But a 3-pointer from Trinity’s Allison Even sparked a major 18-0 run in which the visitors from San Antonio connected on six straight 3-point attempts over the next three minutes. The 3-point barrage widened the gap to 26 with 1:03 left, as Even knocked down the sixth trey for a 49-23 advantage. UMHB closed the half with six straight points, five of which came from Galvan, but the damage was done.
The Cru pulled back within 14 with 3:46 left in the third when Uzzell fired a 3 from the left wing just 28 seconds after scoring in the paint. It capped an 8-0 run from UMHB, as the hosts gained ground, but Trinity had an answer of its own coming out of the media timeout. The Tigers scored eight straight points of their own, with Kai Stratton’s 3 stretching the lead back to 22.
Trinity led by as many as 28 points down the stretch of the fourth, though The Cru continued battling, even putting together a 10-4 run between the 3:50 and 1:22 marks of the fourth. UMHB shot 4-of-6 with a pair of 3s in that span.
Thursday’s duel marked the first of two meetings this season between the in-state foes, who will play a rematch in just over a week at ETBU’s Christmas Classic on Dec. 29. That begins a stretch of three straight games away from Belton for The Cru, who will also face UW-Eau Claire in Marshall on Dec. 30, followed by a road tilt at future ASC member McMurry on Jan. 3.
