ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University men's basketball got its American Southwest Conference slate of games started on the right foot by scoring a 63-51 win over Louisiana College at Kimbrell Arena. The War Hawks improved to 3-2 overall (1-0 ASC), while the Wildcats fell to 1-2 on the year (0-1 ASC).
 
While the McM squad has been able to look to its bench for big contributions in the early going, the win over LC was more in the hands of the War Hawks' starters, especially the trio of Kaan Yilmas, LaRandall Scroggins and Nate Estrada.
 
All three tallied in double figures, led by 18 points from Yilmaz. Yilmaz was 5-of-10 from the field and a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. He also had five rebounds and two assists.
 
Scroggins hit 7-of-12 from the floor on his way to a 17-point game and also pulled down five boards. Estrada added 13 points and had team-best totals of six rebounds and five assists.
 
McMurry's smothering defense not only held the Wildcats to a season low point total, but also just a 35 percent shooting night (20-57) from the field. McM also forced the LC team into 21 turnovers.
 
The War Hawks built up a double-digit lead late in the first half.  Trailing 10-9 at the midway point of the opening half, a 16-5 McMurry run was capped by a pair of Estrada free throws and made the score 25-15 in favor of the War Hawks.  The team would never trail again (although there would be two second-half ties).
 
McMurry took a 32-23 cushion into the intermission.
 
Louisiana College was able to knot the game at 42-42 on a pair of charity tosses with 8:51 to play. But as if on cue, Yilmaz drained a shot from beyond the arc to ignite the War Hawks down the stretch.  In that final nine minutes, McM outscored the Wildcats 21-9,  for the final 63-51 score.