BELTON — Before UMHB men’s basketball’s ASC home opener against ETBU, Sam Patterson talked to his team about resiliency. “Bending, not breaking,” as he put it. Little did Patterson know just how fitting that theme would be for the contest that played out inside the Mayborn Campus Center Saturday afternoon.
Matched up with a tough, underrated ETBU squad for the second time in less than two weeks, UMHB’s perfect conference record hung in limbo for virtually all 45 minutes of the overtime thriller.
The Crusaders never gained a double-digit lead like they did in the 71-62 win over ETBU on Jan. 27, and Hudson Johnson, the ASC’s leading scorer, was held scoreless for the first time in 21 games this season. But behind a career-high 37 points from Zach Engels and a collective poise down the stretch, The Cru overcame the Tigers’ upset bid, winning 87-84 in front of a crowd of nearly 700 strong.
It gave UMHB a 3-0 start to ASC play for the first time since 2020-21, when The Cru went 13-0.
“We’re getting every team’s best shot,” Patterson, UMHB’s first-year head coach, said afterwards. “That’s the respect we’ve earned through the play up until this time. Our word going into the game was resiliency, and this is such a fitting game for that. To be down at halftime, be down early in the second half, and battle back and have everybody contribute was huge.”
The win went down as UMHB’s narrowest in a conference matchup since Feb. 10, 2024, a 105-103 win at Ozarks. Saturday’s result may have been lower-scoring, but it had the same heart-stopping nature to it, with the game decided on the final play.
UMHB guard Cam Stinson converted on a pair of free throws with 12 seconds left in overtime, extending the lead to three, but ETBU took the final possession, as Tigers point guard Jack Pease sprinted down the floor and dished to Shad Levy for a potential game-tying 3. But Levy’s shot from the left wing was off the mark, and a scramble for the loose ball ensued near the baseline.
Michael Roberts eventually secured the ball for ETBU, but his pass to Pease near the top of the 3-point arc was deflected by UMHB’s Josh Pearre. Before Pease could collect the rolling ball and fire up another shot, the final buzzer sounded on The Cru’s dramatic win.
“We knew when we were scouting them, and even from the first time we played them, that it was going to be a physical game,” Engels said. “In the first half, when we weren’t executing on that and they were killing us on the glass, we came back in the locker room, reorganized, and then came out there. My mindset was just, attack and be as aggressive as possible.”
UMHB trailed 38-31 at halftime, and by the 16:30 mark of the second half, ETBU’s lead had widened to 16. Winless through its first two ASC games, the Tigers appeared well on their way to a road upset, opening the second 20 minutes on a 13-4 run.
But Engels refused to let it happen.
The senior had eight points in the first half but flipped a switch when The Cru found itself desparately needing an offensive spark. On the possession that immediately followed Christian Dewes’ free throw for ETBU’s 51-35 advantage, Engels got inside and scored on a layup. 21 seconds later, Elijah Lawrence came up with a steal, triggering a two-on-one fast break that ended with Engels scoring easily on another layup. The Austin native scored UMHB’s next seven points, cutting the deficit to 11 in a two-minute span. Pretty soon, the rest of the Crusader offense was in rhythm as well. Grant Jessen’s three-point play with a layup and free throw at the 11:58 mark pulled UMHB within eight, and another layup from Engels brought the ETBU lead down to six.
The Cru continued climbing the mountain, steadily chipping away, though ETBU maintained a two-possession lead for several minutes. The breakthrough came in a 9-2 run between the 7:09 and 4:59 marks, with none other than Engels spearheading the charge. The senior intercepted an ETBU inbounds pass underneath the Tigers’ own basket, initiating a possession that ended with him drilling a 3-pointer from the right wing and cutting the deficit to one.
Just over a minute later, after The Cru and Tigers traded scores, Engels raced ahead of the ETBU defense in transition and received a perfect pass from Johnson, finishing the fast break with a go-ahead layup that brought the home crowd to its feet as the ball rolled in. The 64-63 lead was UMHB’s first since the 14:45 mark of the first half.
“When we game-planned, we put in some Iso plays for Engels, because I think he’s really good in three dribbles or less,” Patterson said. “So we added a few things in the offense to get him those looks at the elbow. He’s a load to deal with, and the energy that he provides when he’s making shots [is huge]. That 3 he made in front of our bench brought the crowd into it. We were senior-led, and he was a huge part of that.”
In a back-and-forth final five minutes of regulation, Engels maintained his stellar play on the offensive end. He tied the score at 69 apiece with 1:48 to go, before making a crucial free throw to put UMHB back in front, 70-69, with 1:14 remaining. Lawrence, a fellow senior, provided The Cru’s next big play down the stretch after Roberts put ETBU in front with two free throws, scoring on a layup with 44 seconds left.
Ultimately, it came down to ETBU’s final possession with UMHB up 73-71. Joshua Joe stepped up for the vistors, connecting on a baseline jumper with 5.6 seconds left that sent the contest into overtime. But once again, it was a matter of bending rather than breaking for The Cru, who outscored ETBU, 14-11, in the five-minute extra period.
Engels added a free throw and a driving layup for an 83-77 lead late in that overtime period, bringing his career-best scoring day to 37 points, surpassing his previous high mark—set at Trinity on Dec. 9—by 12. He shot 13-of-20 from the field and 10-of-16 at the foul line in a memorable effort that displayed his leadership on the floor.
“I’ve always thought of myself as a lead-by-example type of guy,” Engels said. “So I knew a way I could do that was just getting downhill, and playing with more energy. Just in the flow of the game, I happened to be getting the ball and being aggressive when I got it.”
UMHB notably flipped the rebounding battle in the second half and OT after ETBU controlled the boards throughout the opening half. The Tigers were +15 on the boards in the first 20 minutes and held an 8-0 advantage on second-chance points in that same span. Over the next 25 minutes, UMHB was +6 in rebounding (29-23), including grabbing 10 of their 11 offensive rebounds in the game.
“They had some players make shots in the first half, but really it came down to rebounding,” Patterson said. “I don’t know of another game where we haven’t had a second-chance point [at halftime], so that was what I really challenged them with at the half. We had to be us, and it started with energy and effort.”
The biggest week of the regular season still awaits, as UMHB faces off with ASC preseason favorite Hardin-Simmons (14-8, 3-0 ASC) not just once, but twice, in the next seven days. The Crusaders host the Cowboys in Belton on Feb. 10 at 6 p.m. CT before making the trek to Abilene for a Feb. 14 rematch.
With just three regular season games left, the outcome of next week’s two-game series will both determine the ASC’s regular season champion and the host site for the conference tournament. Patterson is well aware of what’s on the line.
“I think it’s great because it really shows you who the better team is at the end of the week,” Patterson said. “You’re going to have a little bit of time to adjust in between, but you’re going to be really familiar with the other team, especially when we go up to Abilene. I’m happy that we can now turn all the attention onto Tuesday and understand we’re playing for the ability to host in the conference tournament.”
