Larry Reese paved the way with his season first double double of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Art Gonzalez sported 16 points while Travis Johnson added 14 in the win.
HPU’s Kendrick Johnson and Sean Wheeler led Jacket shooters with 18 and 16 points respectively in the effort.
Sully was even from the field shooting 40 percent for the contest including 45 percent from long range. The Lobos converted 13 of 19 shots from the foul line good for 68.4 percent for the night.
The Yellow Jackets finished with a 49.1 percent showing from the field against the Lobos. Howard Payne nailed two first half free throws but struggled from the line in the second half at 0 for 3 for a 40 percent finish.
Howard Payne led for more than half of the opening period including an 11-point advantage after Lee Scott bingoed on a 12-footer to give the Jackets an 18-7 advantage with 10:28 left in the first.
Sul Ross gradually narrowed the spread and took the lead after Johnson drained a pair of free throws to give Sully a slim 48-47 lead at the 4:53 mark.
The Lobos then posted a 7-4 sprint to take a 35-31 lead to the half.
Sul Ross pulled ahead by six, 41-35, after Gonzalez converted on a long range jumper at the 16:08 mark.
The Jackets regrouped and assembled a 7-0 run ending on a Kendrick Johnson shot from inside the arc to give HPU a one point, 42-41 lead with 14:31 left in regulation.
Sul Ross stole the lead with 12:25 left off a Travis Johnson 3-pointer. The Jackets tied the contest on the next possession on another Kendrick Johnson jump shot. Both teams traded leads over the next five minutes of play.
The Lobos took the advantage after Gonzalez sank two foul shots to give Sully a 58-56 decision with 1:47 left in the game. Howard Payne trimmed the Sul Ross lead to 2 again (60-58) after Sean Wheeler’s shot with 47 seconds left in regulation. A Jacket turnover and foul sent Art Gonzalez to the line once more. Gonzalez dropped both shots through the iron with five seconds left to give the Lobos the 62-58 conference victory.
The Lobos improve to 3-3 for the season and 3-1 in ASC play. Sul Ross travels to UT Dallas and UT Tyler on December 16 and 18.
Newspaper Box Score Howard Payne vs Sul Ross State 12/04/06 5:00 p.m. at Alpine, Tx. (Pete P. Gallego Center) At Alpine, Tx. (Pete P. Gallego Center) SUL ROSS STATE 62, HOWARD PAYNE 58 HOWARD PAYNE (1-5 (1-3, ASC)) Kendrick Johnson 8-11 0-0 18; Sean Wheeler 8-11 0-0 16; Craig Blackman 3-7 0-0 6; Lee Scott 2-6 0-0 4; Travis Dawson 2-3 0-0 4; Josh Weatherred 1-4 0-0 3; John Bryant 1-2 0-0 3; Eldrick Spivey 0-0 2-2 2; Victor Hayes 1-2 0-3 2; Brian Blalock 0-2 0-0 0; Tom Hermann 0-3 0-0 0; Michael Soto 0-0 0-0 0; Gary Thompson 0-2 0-0 0; Brock Woods 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-53 2-5 58. SUL ROSS STATE (3-3 (3-1, ASC)) Larry Reese 6-12 6-9 18; Art Gonzalez 4-10 4-5 16; Travis Johnson 4-5 3-4 14; Abraham Ely 4-9 0-1 9; Filiberto Torres 1-1 0-0 3; Anthony Mata 1-8 0-0 2; Jesus Banuelos 0-1 0-0 0; Cornell Hunt 0-1 0-0 0; Anthony Miller 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 20-50 13-19 62. Howard Payne.................. 31 27 - 58 Sul Ross State................ 35 27 - 62 3-point goals-Howard Payne 4-14 (Kendrick Johnson 2-4; John Bryant 1-1; Josh Weatherred 1-4; Lee Scott 0-2; Travis Dawson 0-1; Victor Hayes 0-1; Gary Thompson 0-1), Sul Ross State 9-20 (Art Gonzalez 4-9; Travis Johnson 3-4; Filiberto Torres 1-1; Abraham Ely 1-1; Anthony Miller 0-1; Anthony Mata 0-4). Fouled out--Howard Payne-None, Sul Ross State-None. Rebounds-Howard Payne 31 (Craig Blackman 7), Sul Ross State 33 (Larry Reese 10). Assists-Howard Payne 12 (Travis Dawson 3; Victor Hayes 3), Sul Ross State 14 (Art Gonzalez 4; Travis Johnson 4). Total fouls-Howard Payne 23, Sul Ross State 14.