ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University's men's basketball team will be looking to keep up the head of steam it has built, having already locked down the No. 3 seed in the American Southwest Conference tournament, in the regular season finale on Saturday afternoon versus Sul Ross State at Kimbrell Arena.

Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.

The War Hawks (16-8, 12-8 ASC) have won three of their last four contests, including last Thursday's 101-89 win over Howard Payne University. McM is currently alone in third place in the ASC West, with Concordia-Texas trailing the War Hawks by one game. However, with two head-to-head wins over CTX, McMurry owns tie-breaker criteria for that No. 3 slot.

Saturday's game will be special as the McMurry men's team will be paying tribute to its five seniors – Anthony Johnson, Bryant Taylor, Steven Jones, Jaden Isler and Bryce Hill – who will be playing their final home regular season game on Saturday.

Individually, each has made tremendous contributions to the War Hawks' team. Collectively, they have been the backbone of two successful seasons at McM (all but Hill transferred into McM for the 2010-11 season).

The four seniors who were here in 2010-11 were also all a part of McMurry's ASC West regular season and tournament championships, as well as advancing to the second round of the 2011 NCAA III championships. Entering the final home weekend of games, the War Hawks had a combined record of 37-16 the past two years...a winning percentage of 71 percent!

In 2011-12, the five seniors have not only demonstrated their leadership by their on-court intangibles, but have backed it up statistically, as well. The group is responsible for 56 percent of the team's offense (56.6 p.p.g.), 41 percent of rebounds (19.4 r.p.g.), 82 percent of assists (14.2 a.p.g.), 72 percent of steals (7.6 s.p.g.) and attempts 69 percent of McM's field goals (47.2 FGA p.g.).

Johnson is averaging 6.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game and has appeared in all 24 contests (with 16 starts). He came to McMurry by way of the University of New England, and Del Valle High School in the Austin area prior to that. Johnson is a business major.

Taylor has evolved into one of the most deft ball handlers in both the ASC and in NCAA Division III, ranking among the leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. On the year, he is averaging career-best numbers of 7.2 points, 2.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game. He came to McM after spending time both Citrus College and Miramar College in Southern California's community college system. The native of Temecula, Calif., attended high school at Great Oak H.S.

Jones came to McMurry from San Diego's Miramar College and immediately established himself as a “top gun” in the ASC. As a junior, Jones was first team NABC All-South Region, ASC West Player of the Year, ASC All-Tournament, ASC All-Division and first team All-ASC West. In his two years in Abilene, he has rolled up 805 points (15.0 p.p.g.) and 432 rebounds (8.2 r.p.g.) over the course of 53 games played. This year, Jones has been in double figures in 21 of the War Hawks' 24 games thus far, coming off of a season-high 28 points versus HPU on Thursday. He is a business major.

Isler, also in his second season with the War Hawks, not only brought his outstanding talents as a point guard to Abilene, but eventually his father, J.D. Isler, who is in his first season as the McM head coach. The younger Isler entrenched himself among the elite ballhandlers from the outset, finishing second in the ASC in assists last season, while leading the ASC and among the NCAA III assist leaders, this season. Isler has scored 605 total points (11.6 p.p.g.) and averaged 5.3 assists per game over 53 contests. He came to McM after one season each at Lubbock Christian and Jacksonville J.C., after a stellar prep career at Clovis (N.M.) High School. He is a biology major.

The War Hawks were only able to have Hill in Abilene for one season, but are they glad they did! Hill had previously played collegiate ball at Jacksonville J.C. for two seasons, before spending last year at Texas Wesleyan. As a graduate of Clovis (N.M.) High School, he was reunited with head coach J.D. Isler and former teammate Jaden Isler when he became a War Hawk for 2011-12. Appearing in all 24 games this season, Hill is second on the McM team in scoring at 14.5 p.p.g., while also averaging 3.1 rebounds per game and a team-leading 2.1 steals per game. Hill ranks among both the ASC and national leaders for both three-point field goals made per game (3.0) and three-point field goal percentage (40.8 percent). He is a business major.