BOX SCORE BELTON, Texas -- It had all the elements of a rivalry game: a big crowd, a big comeback, overtime and a dramatic finish. Unfortunately for Concordia, Mary Hardin-Baylor legged out the 67-62 overtime victory at the Mayborn Campus Center in the latest chapter of the I-35 Rivalry Saturday afternoon.
The Tornados (0-5 ASC, 7-7) led 59-58 with 3:04 left in the extra stanza, but UMHB (2-3, 6-8) sealed the contest on a 9-1 rally.
Jaela Dejean added a lay-up as time expired.
The Cru out-scored the Tornados 11-6 in the frame. Six of UMHB's points came from the charity stripe, besting Concordia's output at the line by four. Both teams made just two buckets from the floor, however one of the Cru's baskets was a triple.The Tornados held the Cru without a field goal for the first 7:00 of the fourth quarter, outscoring their hosts 12-2 in that stretch. Concordia tied the contest at 51-all with 4:00 left in regulation. UMHB's Jonelle Smith quieted the outburst with a 3-pointer to put the Cru back in front 54-51 a minute later. The Tornados closed the final moments of regulation on a 5-2 rally helped by several late turnovers.
Alexis Copeland tied the contest at 56 1:01 on the clock on a fast-break lay-up. Both teams traded turnovers over the next 52 seconds. UMHB wound up with the ball during the final 10 seconds. After
Emily Cullers swatted away Smith's 3-pointer attempt, the Cru retained possession with five seconds left. Smith let a jumper fly that missed. She collected the rebound and fired a second jay that didn't drop.
Da'Quayla Terry grabbed the loose ball, preserving the stalemate.
The Cru's largest lead stood at 13 early on in the second quarter, but Concordia faced a 10-point gap as late as 9:24 left in the fourth.
Jaela Dejean scored a team-high 19 points while
Isis Johnson finished with 10 rebounds.
Da'Quayla Terry tied her career-best with eight of each. Jonelle Smith ended the day with a game-high 20 points for the Cru.
The Tornados will look to collect their first conference win Monday, Jan. 18 when UT Dallas visits Concordia Fieldhouse. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
