The Crusaders led by as many as 10 points in the second half and led 76-71 before Cory Cooper scored for ETBU to cut it to 76-73 with 1:42 remaining. Neither team would score again until Cedric Isom drained a three-pointer for ETBU with five seconds left to tie the game at 76. The Tigers fouled UMHB’s Patrick Oliver on the inbounds pass and Oliver missed his first free-throw before nailing the second to put the Crusaders up 77-76 with two seconds left to play. The Tigers did not get a shot off on their final possession as UMHB knocked the ball away to preserve the victory. UMHB trailed 46-42 at halftime after leading most of the first half. The Crusaders then opened the second half with an 18-6 run to grab an eight-point lead and ETBU would not lead again.
Justin Schwartz led UMHB with 20 points and he added five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Kevin Guyden had 16 points for the Cru and Oliver added 13 points and eight rebounds. Jimmy Carter also came off the bench to score 10 big points for UMHB. Cedric Isom led ETBU with 28 points and eight rebounds. Rodney Calhoun added 11 points off the bench for the Tigers and Chris Isom had 10 points and eight boards. UMHB shot 48 per cent from the field and 54 per cent from three-point range. ETBU shot 48 per cent from both the floor and beyond the arc. The Crusaders were 18-26 from the free-throw line and the Tigers were just 8-16 from the stripe.
The Crusaders will now face either Howard Payne or U.T.-Dallas in a semifinal game at 4:00 PM tomorrow afternoon. Mississippi College will take on McMurry University in the other semifinal at 2:00 PM with the two semifinal winners meeting in the ASC Tournament championship game at 2:00 PM on Sunday. The winner of the ASC Championship Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships.