ABILENE -- With the game tied at 80 and 2.9 seconds left in regulation, junior guard Ricky Burney went to the charity stripe and converted two clutch free throws to complete McMurry's furious comeback effort as McMurry knocked off Howard Payne 82-80 in an American Southwest Conference West Division game Saturday night at Kimbrell Arena. The McMurry men's basketball team once again had to make a late comeback as they outscored Howard Payne 17-4 over the last three minutes and 30 seconds to take the victory.

McMurry remains the hottest team in the ASC as the win over the Yellow Jackets makes eight in a row.  McMurry is 12-4 overall and 11-1 in conference play.  McMurry is in first place in the ASC West by a full four games as second-place Mary Hardin-Baylor is 7-5 in conference play.  McMurry and UMHB will square off at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday down in Belton.

McMurry trailed Howard Payne for nearly the entire game.  McMurry led briefly in the first half with their last lead in the frame coming at the 16:32 mark when they held an 8-6 lead.  But from there the Yellow Jackets dominated the rest of the first half as they closed the final 16 minutes of the frame on a 45-23 run to take a commanding 51-31 lead into the break. 

Things continued to look bleak for McMurry in the second half as Howard Payne led by as many as 24 points (55-31 with 18 minutes left in regulation).  With just 10 minutes left in regulation, McMurry trailed by 18 points (66-48) before they started to make their comeback.  Over the next seven and a half minutes, McMurry went on a 17-10 run to trail by 11 points with three and a half minutes to go.  From there, McMurry closed the game on a 17-4 run to take the game. 

Burney nailed a 3-pointer with 14 seconds remaining in regulation, which tied the game at 80 (it was the first tie since the game was squared at eight with 16 minutes left in the first half).  On the ensuing possession, McMurry's defense forced a tough 3-point attempt for the Yellow Jackets and Burney rebounded the miss despite being fouled.  Burney then converted the free throws to complete McMurry's improbable comeback. 

McMurry senior guard Dewayne Hall was a major reason why McMurry was able to come back.  Hall scored a team-high 25 points and he converted 8 of 12 three-point attempts.  McMurry senior guard Jonathan Walker, the ASC's leading scorer, finished the game with 22 points (on 8 of 13 from the floor), while Burney finished with 14 points and a game-high seven rebounds.  McMurry senior guard Robert Moreno scored seven points and dished out six assists.