Abilene, Texas – Mary Hardin-Baylor and Hardin-Simmons men’s basketball teams advance to the American Southwest Conference Championship game after semifinal wins on Friday evening in Abilene.
No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor 89, No. 3 East Texas Baptist 84 | Box Score
In a competitive match up that featured multiple lead changes and a late surge from both teams, East Texas Baptist fell to Mary Hardin-Baylor, 89-84, in the first game of the 2025-26 ASC Men's Basketball Championship tournament.
The Tigers opened strong and built an early 8-5 lead behind early scoring production. However, the Cru quickly responded and took an 11-10 advantage into the first media timeout. UMHB maintained control through portions of the half, but ETBU answered with a late push to narrow the deficit heading into halftime 45-39.
ETBU came out aggressive to start the second half as Orlando Gooden III knocked down a three-pointer to trim the score to 45-42. The game remained tightly contested, eventually being tied at 51-51 with 14 minutes remaining. Hudson Johnson and Nathan Fleming traded key layups to keep momentum shifting between both squads. Johnson powered a key stretch for UMHB, finishing with a game-high performance and extending the lead to 59-53 with 13 minutes left.
The teams traded baskets down the stretch in a high-energy final five minutes. At the 3:52 mark, UMHB held a narrow 78-76 advantage at the media timeout. Zach Engels later hit a late shot-clock floater to extend the lead to four. After forcing a defensive stop, ETBU pushed in transition and converted on an explosive dunk from Levy off an assist from Jack Pease — his sixth assist of the game — cutting the deficit to 84-82 with 53 seconds remaining.
Despite a 24-point performance from Michael Roberts and double-double from Nathan Fleming, UMHB ended the game in the bonus and Hudson Johnson closed the game with two made free throws. Johnson led the way for all scorers in the game, finishing with 28 points.
No. 1 Hardin-Simmons 98, No. 4 Howard Payne 93 | Box Score
Hardin-Simmons opened the game with back-to-back three-pointers from Silas Lott and Asher Fleming, setting the tone early. The teams traded blows throughout the first half, with neither side creating much separation. Fleming led all scorers with 17 first-half points as HSU took a narrow 49-48 lead into the break. Both teams shot over 48 percent in an evenly matched opening half.
The second half remained tight early before Trevion Howell knocked down two key threes to give the Cowboys breathing room. Tyler Williams provided a pivotal stretch with a block-to-dunk sequence and later added a steal and slam to spark the HSU run. A balanced offensive attack helped stretch the lead to double digits midway through the half.
Howard Payne stayed within striking distance behind strong free-throw shooting, trimming the deficit to 86-80 with four minutes remaining. However, execution down the stretch allowed Hardin-Simmons to withstand the late push and secure the win. Four players for the Cowboys ended in double figures with Asher Fleming finishing with 30, Matthew Alexander with 20, Tyler Williams with 14, and Chris Bryant with 12.
No. 1 Hardin-Simmons and No. 2 Mary Hardin-Baylor will face off in the ASC Championship on Saturday, February 28 at 6:00 p.m. at Hardin-Simmons in Abilene.