The Howard Payne University men’s basketball team could not get the shots they needed to fall in the closing minutes and drop a 69-64 decision to the University of Texas at Dallas Saturday afternoon at the Brownwood Coliseum.
Down 13 points with 14:13 left in the game, Howard Payne put together a 15-2 run to tie the game at 51-51 with 9:08 left. A Brandon Irwin layup with 4:54 left gave HPU a 59-57 lead.
The Jackets now stand at 2-2 overall and 0-1 in conference while UTD improves to 4-0 overall and 1-0 in ASC play.
UTD then stringed together a 7-0 run to regain the lead and push it to 65-59 with 2:28 left. A Gabriel Garza free-throw and layup along with a Brandon Irwin layup brought HPU to withing one, 65-64 with 26 seconds remaining.
The Jackets would be unable to knock down any shots in the closing seconds. UTD hit four free-throws to secure the game at 69-64.
Irwin finished with a game high 24 points and 11 rebounds. Gabriel Garza came off the bench to score nine and grab seven rebounds. Brandon Gould had five steals for HPU.
UTD was led by Kyle Schleigh with 16 followed by Chris Barnes and Carter Nash with 15 points each. Barmes and Nash also had 10 rebounds each.
Howard Payne will play the University of the Ozarks at home on Monday.
Poor free-throw shooting by Howard Payne University leads to a 74-70 loss for the Lady Jackets in their home opener versus the University of Texas at Dallas Saturday afternoon in the Brownwood Coliseum.
Howard Payne was 13 of 23 (56%) from the free-throw line in the game while the University of Texas at Dallas was 21 of 24 (87%).
Howard Payne falls to 2-1 overall and 0-1 to start ASC play. UTD is at 4-0 overall and 1-0 in conference.
The game remained tight throughout the first half with the Lady Jackets holding a 37-32 halftime lead.
In a game that had 19 lead changes, Howard Payne would hold their last at 66-65 with 4:45 left in the game. UTD would then score five unanswered points to gain a 70-66 lead with 2:06 to play.
A Brittany Roberson layup with 12 seconds remaining brought HPU to within two, 72-70. Two UTD free-throws secured the game for the Lady Comets winning 74-70.
Robinson finished with 17 points and three assists for HPU. Jasmin Thomas added 14 points and a game high five steals. Dana Marrshad 11 points. Kalin Hana had a team high seven rebounds off the bench.
UTD was led by Kaitlyn Korioth with a game high 18 points. Ashley George followed closely with 17 points and was 11 of 11 from the free-throw line. Lyndsey Smith had 12 and Brittany Houston added 11.
Howard Payne plays at home again on Monday at 5:30 pm versus the University of the Ozarks.
