ABILENE- The McMurry men's basketball team fell in a close matchup at Kimbrell Arena on Sunday afternoon in a conference game against Austin College.  

McMurry fell to 6-16 overall & 4-9 in conference play, while Austin College improved to 7-16 overall & 2-12 in conference play on the year.

This was a game that shows the toughness of the SCAC when it comes to conference matchup's. The two teams traded baskets back and forth for most of the contest, which is evident in the stat sheet when you see that the game consisted of 18 lead changes and 6 ties.

The first half was a story of momentum changes as both teams looked to try to distance themselves from the other and try to take over the game. Austin College led at the break by a score of 41-37 but McMurry would look to come out in the second half to take control of the contest.

In the second half, McMurry shot the ball better as they improved their percentages from the field and from 3, but they were unable to get enough stops late on the defensive end to be able to win the contest.
Austin College would go on to win by a score of 91-85.

BY THE NUMBERS- Austin College was able to defeat McMurry in the margins. McMurry led in a number of categories but were unable to come through and get the victory as Austin College guarded their lead late in the game. McMurry outperformed Austin when it came to points in the paint, second chance points, and bench points. The Kangaroos relied heavily on their starting lineup as they did not receive any points off the bench. Austin College out-shot the War Hawks with a 52.5% from the field and 56.0% from 3.

McMurry was led by TJ Hilliard with 23 points, followed by Jalen Cherry who had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, while Austin College was led by Jamien June who had 32 points on the day.

McMurry is back in action on Tuesday as they take on Concordia at Kimbrell Arena at 7:30PM.