Box Score
BELTON, Texas – McMurry University men's basketball punched its ticket to the NCAA Division III championships with an 86-81 overtime win over Hardin-Simmons University in the championship game of the American Southwest Conference tournament. The victory not only earned the ASC's automatic bid, but also gave the War Hawks a 20-8 overall record.

The win was the second-consecutive ASC tournament crown – and subsequent NCAA bid – by the War Hawks.

Playoff pairings will be announced tomorrow (Monday) at 11 a.m. on-line via the NCAA.

The two foes from Abilene went at each other for the third time this season, with the Cowboys having won the first two battles.

HSU jumped on McMurry early, gaining a double digit lead, 17-7, eight minutes into the game. The Cowboys rode the efforts of Matt Addison (41 points) to a seven point halftime lead, 39-32.

Hardin Simmons expanded its lead to as much as 13 points early (39-26) in the second period. But a 14-2 run by the War Hawks drew the team back to within a single point, 51-50, before HSU again added some distance.

A pair of free throws by Bryant Taylor at 6:40 finally got McMurry even at 63-63. A few moments later, Steven Jones hit the second of two free throws to give the War Hawks their first taste of a lead since early in the first half.

McMurry led 73-70 after a jumper in the paint from Jones with 58 tics left on the game clock. A three-pointer by HSU's Addison with 33 seconds left knotted matters at 73-73 and, when McMurry failed to get off a final shot attempt, sent the game to overtime.

The War Hawks could not seal matters early in the OT and, with 1:11 left, the game was still tied at 78-78. Jaden Isler game down and missed a short jumper, but hustled after his own layup for a put-back basket. That was followed by two free throws from Alfred Perez and one from Taylor to give McMurry its largest lead, 84-78.

Senior Jaden Isler was the tournament MVP. Isler scored 14 points and had seven assists in the title game.

Jones, also named all-tournament, had 22 points and 13 boards in the title tilt. The third member of the War Hawks named all-tournament – Bryant Taylor – had 13 points and six assists in the finale.

Bryce Hill's 13 points and Alfred Perez's 12 rounded out a quintet of double figure scorers from McMurry.

“I'm so happy for the kids,” an elated McM head coach J.D. Isler said. “They just worked so hard and have been under pressure for the last four weeks just trying to get in the tournament.

“We knew we had a good enough team to win it, but you're fighting for your life. When you win something like this it's not for the coaches, it's for the kids and I'm so happy for them.”