ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University women's basketball rode a 20 point/13 rebound game by junior forward Taylor Russell to a 62-56 home court victory over Howard Payne University at Kimbrell Arena. The win snapped a 14-match losing skein for McM, with 11 of those setbacks coming versus either NCAA I, NCAA II or NAIA foes.
 
The War Hawks improved to 2-15 on the year. The Yellow Jackets fell to 6-5 overall.
 
Russell's blue-collar effort included hitting 11-of-11 free throw attempts.  Seven of Russell's rebounds came on the offensive glass, while she also had one assists and one steal, as well.
 
Senior Adijatu Disu – the team's leading scorer – was limited to just one field goal in the game, but found other ways to contribute to the team's big win. Disu pulled down 11 caroms, to go along with an assist, a block and two steals.
 
Sophomore Haley Welch was McMurry's third double-digit scorer, contributing 11 points to her team's coffers. Welch also had a nice game on the boards, corralling seven rebounds.
 
In all, the War Hawks held a decisive edge on the glass. McM out-rebounded HPU by 51-38. It was the fifth time the team was able to out-board a foe and the largest rebound margin (+13) in McM's favor this season.
 
Neither team shot well from the floor. The Yellow Jackets hit 36-percent (24-66), while McMurry was at 31 percent (18-59) from the field. Both teams canned five, three-point baskets. However, the aggressive War Hawks were able to the free throw line 29 times, making good on 21 attempts.  HPU was 3-for-6 from the charity stripe.
 
In the early throes of the game, Howard Payne looked like it might have McMurry's number, leading by nine points – 19-10 – with 10:49 left to play in the first half. The Yellow Jackets were able to convert McM turnovers into 13 first-half points on their way to a 30-24 lead at the intermission.
 
HPU still held the upper hand by eight points, 36-28, with 16:26 left to play. However, the resilient McMurry team went on a 17-8 run over the next 7:39 minutes to lead the contest – 45-44 – for the first time since the opening minutes of the game.
 
The teams went back-and-forth for the next six minutes, until a pair of free throws by Taylor Neal with 3:36 left to play gave the War Hawks the lead for good.
 
With 1:59 left to play, HPU got to within one possession after a Sarah Van Remmen layup cut McM's advantage to 59-56. But senior Kaitlyn Tarbet – playing in her first game of the season after being sidelined by injuries – converted a driving layup with less than a minute remaining that put her team on top by five.
 
McMurry will be off until January 17, when it travels to Texas A&M-Commerce. The War Hawks' next five games will be on the road, with the team not returning to Kimbrell Arena until February 13.