Georgetown (November 16, 2012) -- The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women’s basketball team could not claw its way out of a second-half hole as the Cru fell to Southwestern University 84-73 in the 2012-13 season opener Friday night in Georgetown. The loss came in the finale of the first day of the Southwestern Tip-Off Classic and drops UMHB to 0-1 on the year. The Pirates are now 1-0 to start the season.

The game was tight through much of the first half, with Southwestern opening up its largest lead of the half at 37-27 with 4:45 remaining in the period. The Cru battled back with a 7-0 run to cut it to 37-34, but the Pirates closed the half with a 7-2 run to lead 44-36 at the half. UMHB would get to within six at 46-40 early in the second half, but Southwestern erupted for an 18-0 run to push the lead to 24 points and would lead by as many as 27 points in the second half. UMHB would not get closer than the final margin the rest of the way.

Taylor Tucker led the Cru with 20 points and 15 rebounds. Samara Williams added 16 points for UMHB. The Cru shot just 32 percent from the field and went 4-19 from three-point range. UMHB out rebounded Southwestern 59-50, but committed 26 turnovers in the loss.

Jordan Owens topped the Pirates with 19 points and Annie Bourne chipped in with 18 points and a game-high 21 rebounds. Audrey Garcia also reached double figures with 15. The Cru held Southwestern to 4-24 shooting from beyond the arc, but the Pirates shot 38 percent from the floor in the victory.

The game also marked the UMHB debut of new head coach Lisa Curliss-Taylor. The Cru will close out the tournament with a 5:00 PM start against Whitworth University on Saturday. Whitworth topped Texas Lutheran 83-64 on Friday. Following Saturday’s game, UMHB will return home for a rematch with Southwestern at 5:30 PM next Tuesday.