Box Score

ABILENE, Texas – Senior center Anna Berthel blocked Coco Cartwright's shot with 14 seconds remaining, and then put the game out of reach as she sank two free throws to give McMurry a 67-63 lead with 12.9 seconds left in the game. Berthel's play sealed the game for McMurry who went on to take a 68-66 victory over cross-town rival Hardin-Simmons Monday night at Kimbrell Arena.

The victory puts McMurry back in the top four in the American Southwest Conference West Division with six games to spare. Hardin-Simmons, the top team in the division dropped to 11-4 in league play, but keeps a one-game lead while McMurry's win ties the team with Mary Hardin-Baylor and Concordia-Texas for fourth place.

McMurry jumped on the Cowgirls from early as they began the game with a 14-4 run capped off by a Collins jumper with 14:25 to play in the half. Tory Salazar scored her only two points of the first half to give McMurry its largest lead at the 12:33 mark at 18-7. The Cowgirls gained three points on McMurry from that point to halftime and the home team led 35-27 at intermission.

Hardin-Simmons scored the first five points of the second half to cut the McMurry lead to three at 35-32. After a back-and-forth effort, eventually the Cowgirls took their first lead of the game at the 12:38 mark when Cartwright hit a pull up jumper from the free-throw line to make the score 45-44.

McMurry never trailed again after Keshia Collins answered with a layup on the next possession. However, HSU's Jasmine Lewis hit one of her two free throws to knot the game at 60 with 3:25 remaining. But, McMurry's M.J. Vickers hit a three-point bucket with 2:22 to play in the contest to give McMurry its final lead of the night.

Trailing 65-63, Cartwright dribbled past her defender, but McMurry's Berthel was there to block her sixth shot of the game with 14 seconds left and was immediately fouled after grabbing the board. She sunk two free throws with 12.9 seconds left to make the contest a two-possession game, which gave her a dozen points on the night.

The senior added eight rebounds including four on the offensive end helping McMurry win the battle on the offensive glass 16-10. Collins led the team with15 points and six steals while Rikeita Thomas added 11, and Salazar chipped in 10 off the bench. Vickers led the team with nine rebounds. McMurry shot 41 percent from the floor, out-rebounded the Cowgirls 42-35 and limited the ASC's leading scorer Lindsey Newcombe to just 10 points.

Lewis ended the night with 19 points in the losing effort for Hardin-Simmons. The Cowgirls finished 40 percent from the floor but turned the ball over 16 times.

McMurry's overall record moved to 11-8 with a 9-6 league record while HSU fell to 14-4 overall. McMurry takes to the road Thursday and Saturday with games in Kerrville against Schreiner and Seguin against Texas Lutheran respectively.