ABILENE, Texas – McMurry University Men's Basketball became winners in three of its last four games on Thursday night, holding off American Southwest Conference rival Howard Payne for a 74-70 win inside Kimbrell Arena.

The War Hawks (4-10, 4-6) earned its first home win on Thursday after winning three on the road, improving to 4-6 in conference play.

Junior guard Remy Minor played a major factor in tonight's win, scoring 26 points for a new career-high. Minor played 38 of a possible 40 minutes, shooting 9-17 from the floor, 2-6 behind the arc and 6-8 from the line.

The victory did not come easy, as a low scoring first half turned into a second half shootout. The lead changed nine times, with HPU (0-14,0-10) last leading 44-42 at the 12:05 mark in the second half. McMurry then stole the lead on a pair of layups by freshman Colby Cork and never lost the lead again.

The game was never out of reach, as McMurry led by 11 at 67-56 with 3:44 to go. HPU went on a 7-0 run at that point, forcing a timeout with 2:16 remaining. As the timeout was called, the Yellow Jackets were assessed a Class B technical, which sent Minor to the line to make it a five-point game. The lead would remain two-possessions the rest of the way.

Following Minor's 26 point night, sophomore guard Shaydon Campbell finished with 12 points by making 3-4 behind the arc and 3-4 at the free throw line. Freshman Matt Pena also helped out downtown, making a pair to finished with eight points.

Cork also played a large role in the win, netting a career-high 11 points and career-high five rebounds off the bench. The Dallas native did not miss, making all five of his shot attempts in the paint.

Junior guard Jordan Sherman made his presence felt on the boards, grabbing 12 boards to lead the team. Junior forward DJ Worrell had eight rebounds to go with six points.

The War Hawks will look to keep the momentum rolling on Saturday with a tough matchup against Sul Ross State awaiting them, with tip-off set for 1 p.m. at Kimbrell Arena.