No. 14-ranked UMHB used smothering defense and physical play inside to push aside East Texas Baptist 66-50 Friday night in the quarterfinal round of the American Southwest Conference Tournament.
At energized Mayborn Campus Center - where they have won 25 straight - the Crusaders (23-3) overcame some early jitters and first-half shooting woes to earn a semifinal date with the Cowboys (15-11) at 4 p.m. today.
“We split with Hardin-Simmons during the regular season so I think we’re pretty even,” said UMHB coach Ken DeWeese, whose squad fell to HSU in last year’s tournament semifinals. “If we play well defensively and shoot the ball well, we’ll have an opportunity to win.”
The Crusaders made good on half of that equation in the first round, holding ETBU (9-17) to 35-percent shooting and limiting Tigers leading scorer and rebounder LaFrance Cooper to only four points and two boards.
“They did a great job against LaFrance,” ETBU coach Bert West said. “Things just weren’t available to him. That’s going to have an effect on any team when your leading scorer doesn’t have any options.”
UMHB shot just 33 percent in the first half but received much-needed sparks off the bench from Zane Johnston and Tim Lytle.
Johnston drained a 3-pointer only seconds after checking in to give the Crusaders a 15-13 lead with 9:12 left in the first half.
Lytle provided some breathing room before the break, feathering a runner off the glass, nailing a pair of 3s and going 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to send the Crusaders into intermission up 30-23.
“I knew I had a chance to be a sparkplug,” said Lytle, who had a game-high 17 points on 5-of-8 shooting. “It’s great when I come into the game at the same time as Zane. He’s a shooter, too, so it helps draw the defense away from me.”
Added DeWeese: “That’s why I put them in the game - instant offense.”
After the Crusaders stretched the lead to 13 points early in the second half, the Tigers whittled the gap to 41-38 with 10:47 remaining.
It was all UMHB from there.
Ryan Burgart got loose for a two-handed dunk, and David Ray had a flying, follow-up jam a minute later to start an 18-3 run that featured 3s by Lytle and Neiman Ford.
With Cooper not a factor, ETBU had no answer for the onslaught.
“When LaFrance Cooper hit a shot early and looked like he was in rhythm, I was concerned,” DeWeese said. “But I thought everybody we put on him did a great job the rest of the way.”
Tilmon Gaddy had 13 points and nine rebounds for UMHB, and Burgart had nine boards to go with six points. Ford finished with nine points.
ETBU’s Takorra Cato had a team-high 11 points, all in the first half.
“After (Cato) hit a few shots,” DeWeese said, “we decided we had better guard him and Cooper.”
UMHB fell to HSU in Abilene on Jan. 17 before returning the favor last week in Belton. The winner of their semifinal today will advance to Sunday’s championship game against the victor of the other semifinal between Howard Payne and Concordia Texas.
“You always kind of root for other teams in your division,” Lytle said. “Plus, we wanted Hardin-Simmons to win so we could get another shot at them after last year’s semifinals.”
NOTES: All four semifinal teams are from the ASC’s West Division. . . . UMHB senior forward Matt Dickey, who hadn’t played since injuring his hand on Feb. 5, played 6 minutes Friday night. . . . Crusaders junior guard Jason Wagner, out of action since suffering a knee injury on Feb. 7, was in uniform but did not play.
edrennan@temple-telegram.com
