ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Men's Basketball remains on the road this week, as they begin American Southwest Conference West Division play. The War Hawks will look to snap their current six-game skid with a road trip to Concordia University Texas and University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Tipoff Thursday against the Tornados, who are tied for the lead in the West Division, is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday with the matchup at UMHB scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday. Live stat and video links for both games can be found at mcmurrysports.com.
NOTES:
LAST WEEK: McMurry suffered two road losses last week at ASC East Division foes East Texas Baptist and LeTourneau. ETBU defeated the War Hawks 86-69, while LeTourneau handed them an 87-73 loss.
STATISTICAL LEADERS: Junior forward Mike Williams Jr. leads the War Hawks in both points and rebounds per game at 15.2 and 7.7, respectively. Junior guard Zacc Carter and sophomore guard Khalil Butler round out the double-figure scorers at 14.6 and 10.9 points per game. Butler is second on the team with 6.4 boards per game.
RETURN TO SENDER: The War Hawks rank fourth in the ASC in blocked shots at 3.3 per game, totaling 50 on the season. They are also tops in the West Division in the category. Williams Jr. and senior forward Jordan Jackson lead the team at 0.7 blocks per game.
SECOND CHANCES: McMurry ranks fourth in the ASC in offensive rebounds (12.2) and offensive rebound percentage (.303).
MORENO STEPPING UP: In the four games sophomore guard Isaac Moreno has played more than 20 minutes, he is averaging 9.5 points per game. He scored a career-high 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, in the game against East Texas Baptist. In two games as a starter, he is averaging 10.0 points, 2.0 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
SCOUTING CTX: The Tornados, riding a three game winning streak, are tied for the ASC West Division lead at 4-2 despite just a 6-9 overall record. Senior guard Joe Neal is second in the ASC and leads the Tornados with 22.2 points per game. He leads three players averaging more than 10.0 points per game for the Tornados and also leads the team in rebounding a 6.2 per contest.
SCOUTING UMHB: The Crusaders started the year 12-1, but are coming off back-to-back losses to Belhaven and Louisiana College. They are 3-3 in the ASC. Sophomore guard Sam Moore is third in the ASC at 20.6 points per game, with teammates Brian Long and Demarius Cress also in the top-13 in scoring at 17.2 and 14.4 points per game, respectively. The Cru will face Hardin-Simmons Thursday before taking on the War Hawks.
