BELTON, Texas -- The 2022-23 SCAC men’s basketball season came to a close on Friday night as Schreiner University suffered a tough 81-79 defeat at the hands of homestanding University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in the NCAA Division III first round in Belton, Texas.
Trailing by 12 points with 9:05 left in the first half, Schreiner closed on a 16-6 run as the Mountaineers trailed, 36-34, at the break.
Schreiner kept pressing right from the jump in the second half and finally grabbed its first lead of the game, 51-50, with 13:16 left on an Evan Bronson made field goal. The Mountaineers would push the lead to six on multiple occasions and led by five, 72-67, with 4:43 left, but a 1-for-4 stretch with three turnovers over the next four minutes allowed the Cru to close out the game on a 14-6 run and secure the 81-78 victory.
Each team shot 46 percent from the field, both connecting on 29-of-46 shots. Schreiner held an edge on the boards, 40-33, and a commanding 16-1 advantage in second chance points.
Schreiner finished the game with three starters in double figures led by Darian Gibson’s 25. Dylan Mackey poured in 19, while Kamden Ross recorded yet another double-double during this magical postseason run with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Mackey also finished with nine assists and eight rebounds.
The Mountaineers, who became the first five seed in SCAC history to win the conference Tournament, finish the 2022-23 season with a record of 15-14.
