BELTON (February 13, 2012) – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men’s basketball team successfully avenged its only loss of the season and the Cru rode that victory to a three-spot jump to #5 in the country in this week’s D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. The UMHB men totaled 512 points to move up from eighth and post their highest ranking of the season in that poll this week. Hope College is #1 this week with 23 first-place votes and 623 total points. Amherst is second with 579 points, MIT is ranked third with 551 points and Middlebury College is ranked fourth, just ahead of UMHB with 527 points. The Cru is the only American Southwest Conference program mentioned in this week’s D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll.

The Cru is currently 22-1 overall and has an 18-1 mark in ASC play this season. UMHB posted wins over Hardin-Simmons University and McMurry University last week with the victory over McMurry avenging the Cru’s only loss of the season to date. UMHB returns to action with a 7:30 PM home game against Schreiner University on Thursday. The Cru will then close out the regular season with a 3:00 PM tip-off at Texas Lutheran University Saturday in Seguin. UMHB will return home to host the ASC Championship Tournament February 24-26 at the Mayborn Campus Center.

The D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll is voted on by a panel of 25 coaches, sports information directors and media members from across the country. The UMHB men have been ranked in every D3hoops.com poll this season.