BELTON, Texas – McMurry University's men's basketball team led the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor early-on, but in the end suffered a 74-70 loss at the Mayborn Center. The War Hawks' (8-11, 4-7 ASC) setback to the Crusaders (13-7, 6-5 ASC) was the team's fourth-consecutive loss.
 
Neither team could create any distance.  In the first half, McM had its largest advantage – 20-14 – on a Nate Estrada jumper. With 8:36 left in the first half, the War Hawks still led by one point, 22-21. But UMHB went on an 8-0 run over the next four minutes and took the upper hand. The Cru took a 37-31 lead into the halftime locker room.
 
In the second half, UMHB led the entire half. However, McMurry crept to with a single point on three occasions and, with 39 seconds left in the game, got to within a single possession (68-66) after a Kaan Yilmaz three-point bucket.  The Cru converted 6-of-6 free throws down the stretch when McM was forced to foul.
 
Yilmaz paced the McMurry team by scoring 17 points, hitting 6-of-14 from the field and 2-of-6 from three-point range. Yilmaz almost pulled down seven rebounds and had a blocked shot in 30 minutes of floor time.
 
Senior guard Nate Estrada contributed 16 points, also having a pretty good shooting game by going 5-of-14 from the floor and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.  Estrada had a team-best eight rebounds and four assists.  He also had two steals.
 
Junior forwards LaRandall Scroggins and Aaron Gettys had 13 and 11 points, respectively.  Scroggins was 6-for-14 from the field and Gettys an efficient 5-of-6.
 
Zacc Carter booked seven points and Darius Watts six to round out the War Hawks' scoring. 
 
UMHB won the battle of the boards, out-rebounding McM by a margin of 47-41.