LONGVIEW, Texas – McMurry University Men's Basketball had defending conference champion LeTourneau on the ropes Saturday afternoon, but the potential game-tying heave from half court hit the glass as time expired in overtime, allowing the home-standing YellowJackets to win 91-88.
Four War Hawks scored in double figures, led by freshman post Michael Imariagbe with a career-high 21 points and junior post DJ Worrell with 20. The duo finished worked mostly near the rim, helping McMurry finish with 48 paint points.
Imariagbe and Worrell also recorded double-doubles. Imariagbe set a new career best with 13 boards, while Worrell had 11.
The American Southwest Conference thriller had 10 lead changes and 12 moments where the score was tied, including halftime and the end of regulation.
Tied 80-80 heading into overtime, McMurry won the jump ball and scored immediately on a jump shot from junior guard Remy Minor.
LETU answered by scoring the next six points, including a game-tying jumper and a go-ahead triple on back-to-back possessions. The teams traded one free throw each to make it 86-83, but the YellowJackets stole back momentum with an Andrew Eberhardt three at the 1:25 mark.
But McMurry did not back down.
Minor drew a foul on a driving layup and was able to sink two free throws to pull back within four. With 30 seconds to go, the War Hawks were forced to foul and LETU sank two more free throws.
At 91-86, the next 20 seconds became a blur, as three close shots became three offensive rebounds in the paint. Out of the smoke appeared Minor behind the arc, as a pass out of the paint from Jordan Sherman gave new life to the War Hawks and made it a 91-88 game.
A quick foul sent LETU to the line for a one-and-one with under 10 seconds to go. After missing the first shot, the ball hit off of a LeTourneau player and allowed McMurry to have one last chance to tie. Minor created a look near the half court line, but narrowly missed the rim and hit the glass.
Minor's valiant effort resulted in 17 points and five assists and three steals. More impressively, Minor is the first War Hawk to play 40 minutes in a single game this season, staying on the court for 42:21 of a possible 45:00 minutes.
Another valuable player in the contest was junior Jordan Sherman, who finished with seven rebounds, six points and a team-leading six assists. Sherman also forced LETU into five fouls, while not committing a foul himself.
Senior Landon Stephens was an early threat for McMurry, scoring 11 points with a pair of first half three point baskets. He also finished with five rebounds and a +2 plus/minus rating.
LETU had five double-digit scorers – all starters – led by Deonte Jackson with 23 points in over 41 minutes of game time.
Continuing its run of tough opponents, McMurry dropped to an 0-6 record and is 0-2 in conference play. Though not easy, LeTourneau earned its first conference win and moves to 3-1, 1-1.
The War Hawks will look to get over the hump next week with road matchups against Howard Payne on Jan. 14 and Sul Ross State on Jan. 16.
