BOX SCORE BELTON, Texas -- Despite a huge free throw differential, Concordia Texas was able to battle with rival Mary Hardin-Baylor Saturday evening at the Mayborn Campus Center. Sadly, the Tornados did not make the short trip home as victors, falling to the Cru 103-95.
UMHB converted 44-of-57 free throws compared to CTX's 27-of-39 tally. It would prove to be the difference in the contest.
Six Tornados ended the night in double-figures, led by
Demarco Richardson's 18 points.
Ben Page and
Rashad Coleman added 14 apiece.
Donovan Ford collected 12 while
Joe Neal and
Ephriam Price both totaled 11. Page was just shy of a double-double, pulling down a team-best nine boards. Coleman also had a strong performance, grabbing seven rebounds and dishing out eight assists.
The Cru's Sidney Deloach ended the day with a game-high 25 points and 14 rebounds.
The two teams traded the lead 13 times and battled to just as many ties in the I-35 Rivalry.
Concordia (2-3 ASC, 7-7) held a five-point lead with just over nine minutes to play before halftime, but UMHB (2-3 ASC, 5-9) erupted for a 25-8 run to grab a 12-point advantage with just over three minutes left. Just over half of the Cru's and all of the Tornados' points came from the charity stripe in the stretch. Concordia was able to use a 10-0 run to draw within two at 51-49, but UMHB would close out the half on a 5-2 spurt to go into the intermission up 55-51.
The two squads went back-and-forth as the second half unfolded. The Tornados would tie the game at 67 with 13:14 left in the contest, however the Cru would fire off a 6-0 rally over the next three minutes to take a 73-67 lead. Over the period's final 10 minutes, Concordia would draw as close as one at 73-72 with 8:53 left. UMHB would utilize a 9-2 spurt that effectively sealed the game. The Tornados pulled within four twice in the game's final 30 seconds, but the Cru converted all six of its free throws down the stretch.
Concordia returns to action Monday, Jan. 18 at home against UT Dallas. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
