ABILENE, Texas – McMurry Men's Basketball led nearly the entire way in its American Southwest Conference opener on Tuesday, but were forced into overtime and outlasted by crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons by a final of 92-83 inside Kimbrell Arena.
The War Hawks (1-4, 0-1 ASC) jumped out to a 7-0 run, scoring within the first few seconds of the game on an alley-oop from Remy Minor to Michael Imariagbe. The score ended up tied 10 times, but McMurry was able to pull back ahead every time through the final few minutes of regulation.
Momentum wore maroon after CJ LeBlanc buried a deep three-pointer at the buzzer to make it 40-31 at the break.
McMurry retained its lead up until the 7:46 mark of the second half, as HSU (4-1, 1-0 ASC) sank a pair of free throws to tie it at 62-62. The tied began to turn for the purple and gold as a Will Bartoszek jumped made it 71-70 in favor of the Cowboys with 2:48 to go – McMurry's first time trailing.
With 22 seconds to go, McMurry trailed 76-72, but Minor was able to draw a foul and sink a pair of free throws to pull within two. The biggest break for McMurry came immediately after on the inbound, as LeBlanc tied up Bartoszek for the jump ball to give McM possession down a score.
The inbound went to Imariagbe with 10 seconds left, who drove in and made a driving lay-up to tie it at 76-76. The would-be game-winner by Aiden Walsh fell short for Hardin-Simmons, forcing overtime. HSU used an 8-0 run to pull away and secure the road win.
Imariagbe led the team with 24 points and a career-high 19 rebounds – shattering his previous best of 13 rebounds set last season. The sophomore big also set a new season high in points and played 36 minutes with four fouls.
Three others finished in double digits with Minor scoring 18 points with five assists and LeBlanc contributing 15 points and a team-high three steals. Both players played at least 40 minutes. Sophomore Colby Cork had a breakout game, going 6-6 from the field for 13 points while adding six boards.
McMurry did much of its scoring in the paint, netting 50 points within the area. The War Hawks also had 19 points on fast breaks. HSU slightly outshot their adversary from the floor, from downtown and at the line – despite close numbers.
The War Hawks will play the day after Thanksgiving, welcoming George Fox to Kimbrell Arena on Friday, Nov. 26 with a 5 p.m. tip.
