Box Score
AUSTIN, Texas – McMurry outscored Concordia-Texas 23-18 in overtime and iced the game by hitting 14 of 15 free throws in the overtime period to take a 105-100 win over the Tornados Thursday night at the Concordia Fieldhouse. A season-high seven players scored in double figures for McMurry to lead the charge and
Anthony Johnson and
Jaden Isler each scored 19 to lead the team.
McMurry trailed by 20 points to begin the game when the Tornados shell-shocked the visitors with a 24-4 start. However, McMurry crawled back to within three points of the lead by halftime trailing 42-39.
The Tornados' Taylor Jacobs hit a bucket with 5.7 seconds left in regulation to tie the score at 82. Josh Johnson proceeded to block
Teddy Chambers' game-winning shot attempt with one second remaining to force the game into overtime.
Bryant Taylor set the tone for overtime completing an unconventional 3-point play off the tip in overtime to give McMurry a 3-point lead. From that point, the visitors never trailed.
McMurry finished 46 percent from the floor and 39 of 51 from the free-throw line to help aide in the victory. CTX shot 43 percent from the floor, hit eight 3-pointers on 29 attempts and made 28 of 39 free-throw attempts. McMurry had lost its previous two overtime games this season to UT-Tyler Nov. 29 and East Texas Baptist Dec. 16.
Johnson, the Austin native, scored a season-high 19 points in front of family and friends and grabbed six boards. Isler was a perfect 10 for 10 from the line and had six free throws in overtime.
Derick Sumpter scored 18, Taylor finished with 13,
Steven Jones had 12 and
Teddy Chambers and
Steven Johunkin finished with 10 apiece. Chambers had a double-double with 12 boards.
Matt Garnett became the quickest head coach in the school's history to reach 10 career wins as McMurry moved to 10-5 overall in his first season. Frank Akers was the previous record holder reaching 10 wins in his first 16 games as head coach in the 1948-49 season.
More importantly, McMurry enters into a second-place tie in the American Southwest Conference West Division with a 8-3 record. McMurry is half a game behind Mary Hardin-Baylor who it takes on Saturday in Belton at 3 p.m.
