ASC Hoops: Hardin-Simmons men, women bounce back to sweep Concordia; UMHB handles McMurry

AUSTIN - The Hardin-Simmons women’s basketball team jumped all over Concordia early and finished with a 84-56 win on Saturday afternoon.

It started with defense for the No. 22 Cowgirls, who held Concordia to seven points in the first and nine in the second, on 4 of 26 shooting.

Meanwhile, HSU scored the first nine points of the game on three 3-pointers and never trailed. The Cowgirls (13-4 overall, 8-4 ASC) closed the first half on a 15-2 run to lead 36-16 at halftime.

The lead grew to 27 entering the fourth quarter before HSU finished with at least 80 points for the fifth time this season.

The Cowgirls spread the offensive wealth. Kiki Gonzales led the way with 16 points off the bench, Parris Parmer had 13 and Natasha Blizzard had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double. Four other Cowgirls had at least five points while 13 scored in the win.

Haven Perez scored a game-high 18 points to lead Concordia (7-12, 5-9).

Former Cooper Lady Cougar Jennika Willis had three points, two rebounds and two steals off the bench.

HSU remains on the road next week for one trip, to Ozarks on Saturday.

Cowboys hold off late Tornados charge

At Austin, it was a fight all the way to the end, but the HSU men held off Concordia 87-84 to complete the season sweep.

The Cowboys (12-5, 8-4) never trailed in the first half and led the rest of the way after the game was tied at 2 early. They took a 32-28 lead into halftime.

That’s when things got interesting.

Concordia (8-8, 5-7) scored seven of the first nine points in the second half to take a 35-34 lead. HSU answered with a 19-2 run to lead by 16 with 13:48 to play.

But the Cowboys spent the rest of the game holding off a comeback attempt. The Tornados would get the deficit to single digits with 8:18 left. About six minutes later, it was a two-point game.

With under 2 seconds left, free throws pulled Concordia to within one, but Austin Brewer clinched the win with two free throws of his own.

Steven Quinn led HSU with 16 points while Aidan Walsh finished with 15. Kyle Brennon and Chase Cobb added 13 and 11 points, respectively. Four others scored at least six points.

The win keeps the Cowboys tied for third in the ASC standings heading into Monday’s crosstown game against McMurry.

No. 21 Cru handle McMurry men

At Belton, the McMurry men couldn’t overcome a 17-point halftime deficit in a 93-75 loss to No. 21 Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Though the War Hawks (7-10, 5-7) played the Cru to within a point in the second half, the first 20 minutes proved a hole too deep to dig out of.

CJ LeBlanc led McMurry with 18 points, Matt Pena scored 13 while Michael Imariagbe, Remy Minor and Elias Garcia finished with nine points each.

The War Hawks return to Abilene on Monday, going across town to face HSU.

McMurry women fall to UMHB

At Belton, the McMurry women were the latest victim to 20th-ranked Mary Hardin-Baylor.

UMHB (16-2, 13-0) outscored the War Hawks (0-17, 0-12) by nine in the first and eight in the third, while playing to a three-point advantage in the second and four in the fourth to ease to the 72-48 win.

Azallee Johnson led McMurry with eight points while Emily Holland, Valery Alvarado and Destiny Mathews finished with seven points each. Sidney McHenry had a team-high six rebounds.

The War Hawks remain on the road next week for a single game against Ozarks on Thursday.

Jordan Hofeditz covers Abilene high schools and colleges, Big Country schools and other local sports. Follow him on Twitter at @jhofeditz. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: ASC Hoops: Hardin-Simmons sweeps Concordia; UMHB handles McMurry