The Crusaders led by five at the half with a 27-22 advantage. UMHB used a 17-5 run to open the half and stretch the lead to 44-27. Trinity went on an 11-0 run to cut it to 44-38 with 7:25 remaining. The Crusaders then took control again with a 9-2 run and UMHB led by double figures or more for all but 51 seconds the rest of the way.
The Crusaders shot 46 per cent from the field and held the Tigers to 30 per cent shooting. UMHB also forced 20 Tiger turnovers and went 20-27 from the free-throw line. Ryan Burgart led UMHB in his return from a near-fatal illness this summer. He scored 18 points on 7-8 shooting and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds. Kevin Guyden also scored 18 for UMHB and Connor Kuykendall chipped in 10 points. B.J. Moon was the only Tiger in double figures with 12 points.
The UMHB men will now hit the road to open American Southwest Conference play this weekend. The Crusaders will face defending ASC champ Mississippi College Saturday afternoon in Clinton, Mississippi. The UMHB men will then travel to Pineville, Louisiana to take on Louisiana College on Monday night.