The Cru let a seven-point first-half lead slip away and trailed 43-42 after a first-half that featured six ties and seven lead changes. UMHB then opened the second-half with a 12-1 run to take a 54-44. TLU would cut it to four at 68-64 with 3:04 remaining, but UMHB quickly pushed the lead back to nine and never looked back. The Bulldogs shot 50 per cent from the field and from three-point range in the first half before cooling off to 32 per cent from the field and 29 per cent from beyond the arc in the second half. The Cru hit 46 per cent from the field and 44 per cent from long-range in the win.
Kevin Guyden led UMHB with 22 points and he added eight assists. Zane Johnston chipped in with 14 points and Ryan Burgart had 12 points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots for the Cru. Nate Walton topped TLU with 23 points on 5-8 shooting from three-point range. Brandon Hughes came off the bench to add 14 points for the Bulldogs.
The Cru will now make a quick trip home to host Schreiner University for a 3:00 PM tip-off on Saturday at the Mayborn Campus Center. The UMHB men will then hit the road again to face Concordia-Austin for a 7:30 PM start next Tuesday night in Austin.