Austin, TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor women’s basketball team battled back from a second-half deficit and closed with a flurry as the Cru women posted a crucial 62-56 win over Concordia Texas Tuesday evening in Austin. The UMHB women improve to 12-7 overall and 10-5 in American Southwest Conference play with their fourth straight win. More importantly, the Cru women break a tie with Concordia and move into sole possession of fourth place in the ASC West Division. UMHB also swept the season series from the Lady Tornados. Concordia drops to 11-8 overall and 9-6 in ASC play with the loss.

Concordia led 31-27 at halftime after UMHB used a late-run to erase most of what had been a ten-point Lady Tornado lead. Concordia scored the first five points of the second half to build a nine-point lead at 36-27. UMHB battled back to take a 40-38 lead with 14:12 remaining. The two teams would trade the lead until Jenny Black hit a basket and Landie Thompson followed with a lay-up for the Cru women to make it a 57-54 UMHB lead with 2:40 to go. Concordia pulled back to within two at 58-56 with 1:32 remaining, but Blair Heitmiller drained two free-throws with 1:04 to go and the Lady Tornados would not score again. UMHB shot 56 per cent from the field in the game and held Concordia to 35 per cent shooting. UMHB turned the ball over 27 times and went just 10-22 from the free-throw line, but still held on for the victory.

Landie Thompson led the Cru women with 15 points and nine rebounds and Kallie White added 12 points and eight boards. Jessica Brogan came off the bench to add 10 points for UMHB and a total of eight players scored for the Cru women. Kassandra Bills led Concordia with 19 points and she added eight steals and five assists. Kerrie Carter added 14 points and 11 rebounds and Whitney Clancy had 12 points for the Lady Tornados.

The Cru women will return home to host Schreiner University for a 5:30 PM tip-off on Thursday at the Mayborn Campus Center. UMHB will then travel to Seguin for a 1:00 PM start against Texas Lutheran on Saturday as the Cru women open a three-game road trip.