The two teams were tied at 36 after a first half that featured nine lead changes and seven ties. The Crusaders then opened the second half with a 25-5 run to take a 61-41 lead with 9:47 remaining in the game. The Wildcats could not cut it to less than 13 points the rest of the way as the Crusaders put the game out of reach.
UMHB shot 44 per cent from the field in the game and held the Wildcats to just 32 per cent shooting from the floor. LC was just 8-36 from three-point range while the Crusaders hit 6-15 from beyond the arc. UMHB also out rebounded Louisiana College 39-32 in the victory.
Brandon Gatlin led UMHB with 19 points and Patrick Oliver added nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Eight different players scored five or more points in a balanced Crusader offensive effort. Casey Meador led the Wildcats with 13 points and Kase Gonzales and Josh Martin added 10 points apiece for LC.
The Crusaders will continue their home stand with a 3:00 PM tip-off against Mississippi College Saturday afternoon at the Mayborn Campus Center. The Wildcats will travel to Austin for a 3:00 PM start at Concordia University.