The two teams traded leads throughout the second half before Howard Payne took a 56-53 lead on a pair of Sean Wheeler free-throws with 2:17 remaining in the game. Ryan Burgart’s basketball at the 2:00 minute mark pulled UMHB to within 56-55. Following an HPU turnover, Burgart scored again to give the Crusaders a 57-56 lead with 59 seconds left in the game. Kendrick Johnson buried a three-pointer to put Howard Payne back on top at 59-57 with 35 seconds to go. UMHB turned the ball over on its next possession and was forced to foul. Victor Hayes hit both free-throws for the Yellow Jackets to make it a 61-57 lead and UMHB’s Kevin Guyden could not connect on a three-point attempt on the Crusaders final possession. HPU grabbed the rebound and ran out the clock to post its third victory over the Crusaders this season.
Ryan Burgart led UMHB with 18 points and he also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Kevin Guyden added 16 points, seven rebounds and four assists for UMHB. Kendrick Johnson led Howard Payne with a game-high 27 points and Sean Wheeler added 10 points. Matt Zinser had seven points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Yellow Jackets. UMHB shot 43 per cent from the field and held Howard Payne to 39 per cent shooting. The Yellow Jackets went 16-20 from the free-throw line while the Crusaders were just 8-15 from the stripe.
The UMHB men finish the season with an 18-9 record. The Crusaders are a long-shot for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III National Championships. The field for the championships will be released late Sunday night.