ABILENE, TEXAS – Long-range shooting and a strong presence in the paint swayed the difference in American Southwest Conference action Saturday, Jan. 7.
Coming off its 2022-23 winter break, head coach Drew Long's McMurry University squad quickly got out of the gate at Hardin-Simmons University's Mabee Athletic Complex. The War Hawks attacked the rim and found themselves holding an 8-6 lead in the latter stages of the opening quarter. From then on, the host Cowgirls, ranked No. 20 in the current Women's Basketball Coaches Association's NCAA Division III top 25, took off on a contest-changing 11-0 run en route to a 78-49 victory.
"With a team like Hardin-Simmons, they score in spurts, so we had talked this week that we had to weather those," Long said. "We did an excellent job of doing this in the first half and early in the second half.
The chances were there today," he added. "We had some good looks on some lay-ups that didn't go. We had to make those shots because when we missed, it allowed them to get out, get their offense going, and find the perimeter opportunities and some chances inside. We just left a few too many chances on the table."
McMurry, dipping to 8-5 overall and 2-5 in the league, witnessed some history during the afternoon. Senior forward/center
Destiny Mathews (Palestine, Texas), leading the Maroon, Black, and White with 14 points, moved into the program's career scoring top 10 with her second basket.
"She continues to step up as a leader," Long noted of Mathews. "She is so versatile. Destiny is such a great young lady who works so hard and does the right things to prepare herself for success. She's been a joy to coach, and it's been great to watch her grow."
The guard combination of sophomore
Emily Holland (Mansfield, Texas) and senior
Taya Bridges (Mesquite, Texas) were next in line statistically. Holland produced nine points, two steals, three rebounds, and a blocked shot. Bridges tallied eight points, four steals, and two blocks which included tossing in a better than a half-court shot at the end of the first half. HSU nailed nine three-pointers and held a 59-30 advantage on the glass, enabling a 20-0 margin in second-chance points.
The War Hawks continue their current road schedule with a visit to Concordia University Thursday, Jan. 12. "There are no easy games in this conference," Long admitted. "We need to get back to what we were doing- best – concentrate on ourselves – moving forward."
