BELTON, Texas – Luis Gonzalez and Antoine Henderson put forth strong offensive performances, but it was not enough as the Concordia Texas men's basketball team came up short against Mary Hardin-Baylor.
 
Gonzalez led the team with 16 points on 5-of-13 from the field to go along with six rebounds, and Henderson posted 13 points on 6-of-19 from the field and a block on the defensive end, but ultimately a late-game surge from UMHB led to the Tornados' demise.
 
The first half was a back-and-forth affair, the teams swapping leads seven times and neither side leading by more than five. The Tornados put forth a tenacious defensive effort, holding the Cru to 35 points and forcing 10 turnovers, and eight different players scored for CTX in the half. Concordia Texas headed into the locker room at halftime trailing 35-32.
 
Tige Johnson scored six points in the first period on 3-of-4 shooting, including a fast break score that gave the Tornados the lead with 4:01 to play in the half.
 
Mary Hardin-Baylor started the second half on an 11-6 run, leading 46-38 after the first five minutes of the period, but a strong finish at the rim from Trevon Hester ignited the Tornados and a 10-1 run saw the Tornados regain the advantage, leading 48-47 with 12:59 left to play.
 
The Cru caught fire down the stretch, outscoring CTX 37-27 in the final twelve minutes, and the Tornados ultimately fell 85-74.
 
Johnson finished with 11 points and five rebounds, shooting an efficient 5-of-6 from the floor, and Hester posed seven points to go along with five assists.
 
Concordia Texas will face off against Mary Hardin-Baylor once again, this time at home in Austin, Texas at Concordia Fieldhouse on Saturday at 6 p.m.