RICHARDSON, Texas – McMurry Men's Basketball ended its final road swing of the regular season in a memorable way, defeating UT Dallas for the first time since 2010 with an 83-69 victory on Saturday.
Prior to Saturday's win, the Comets had won eight straight over the War Hawks. Not only was it McMurry's first win over UT Dallas since returning to NCAA Division III, but it was also the team's first win in Richardson since January 3, 2009.
Furthermore, McMurry positioned itself better in the American Southwest Conference standings, moving back up to sixth place at 8-13 overall and 6-10 in the ASC. UT Dallas remains in the top four, dropping to 14-6 and 10-6, respectively.
Defensively, McMurry held an opponent under 70 points for the first time this season. UTD shot just 24-66 for 36.4 percent, while the War Hawks went nearly 50 percent (31-64).
The War Hawks had four score in double-figures, led by sophomore Michael Imariagbe with 20 points and five rebounds. The team also shot 9-20 behind the arc (45.0 percent) on the efforts of CJ LeBlanc, Matt Pena and Remy Minor. Pena and LeBlanc – both sophomores – had 17 points each with LeBlanc adding seven assists. Minor chipped in 13 points and three helpers.
Other players served their roles well Saturday, including sophomore forward Colby Cork with six points and a team-high eight rebounds. Although he didn't score, Elias Garcia played 20 minutes and had four steals without committing any turnovers. Rob Charles and TJ Hilliard combined for 10 points off the bench.
McMurry led most of the way, never falling behind by more than two buckets. UT Dallas went up 27-23 with 2:59 to go in the first half, but McMurry ended the half on a 15-4 run aided by three triples. CJ LeBlanc both started and ended that run with three-pointers, including one at the halftime buzzer.
The War Hawks doubled their lead in the second half behind the efforts of Imariagbe, as he scored eight of the first 10 points out of the break. UTD was never able to recover, as McM went up by 19 with 4:24 remaining – 79-60 – before coasting the rest of the way.
The regular season ends next week with two home games, as McMurry welcomes Howard Payne to Kimbrell Arena on Thursday, Feb. 17 at 7:30 p.m. The final game – Senior Day – is Saturday, Feb. 19 against Sul Ross at 3 p.m.
