BELTON- Thursday saw multiple Sul Ross milestones as
Tristen Licon finished with a new career-high in points and head coach
Clif Carroll became the All-Time Wins Leader for men's basketball in a 93-89 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor.
Licon's new career-best 33 points, also a game-high, came with five rebounds and five assists.
Carroll's 73rd win moves him ahead of Doug Davalos for most wins in program history since joining the NCAA in 1996.
B.J. Hollis put the Lobos on the board with a triple to tie things early at the 19:19 mark.
Cailen Bond gave Sully it's first lead three possessions later on a layup at 18:20 for a 5-3 advantage.
Seven lead changes ensued over the next 4:20 as UMHB found themselves with a 17-16 lead with 14 minutes left in the first half. The Cru would go on to extend that lead to seven on two occasions and led 27-20 with 9:26 left in the first.
Later down 34-28, the Lobos used a 7-2 run to take their first lead since the 14:33 mark. Licon nailed a jumper before a Bond triple cut it to a one-point game. Bond then took a steal the other way for a dunk to take a 35-34 lead at 6:26.
UMHB quickly responded with an 11-3 run to go ahead 46-37 with 2:30 before break.
Sully had one more lead change up its sleeve as they finished the first half on a 10-0 run to lead 47-46 at the half. Licon started the run with back-to back triples and later hit a jumper to trim the lead to one with 1:00 left.
Jezreel Griffin's jumper with 29 seconds remaining put the Lobos ahead 47-46 and that score would go to the half.
The Cru came out shooting in the second half with six unanswered for a 52-47 lead at 18:30.
UMHB kept a slim lead over the next 3:14 before a Licon jumper put Sul Ross ahead 57-56 with 15:16 left.
The game saw eight more lead changes through the next 5:33 and saw a lead no greater than three for the Cru and two for the Lobos. That is until the eighth lead change was the start of a 7-0 Sully run for an eventual 76-70 advantage at 8:20. Licon added five more during the streak.
UMHB continually fought to narrow the gap and got it to within two at 3:16. Bond was able to rebound a
Logan Dixon miss on the next possession and hit a jumper to go back up four. The Cru immediately made it a two-point game again, but a Licon layup off a steal again doubled the slim lead. Hollis then hit a jumper next time down the floor to increase it to six with 1:36 left.
The Cru once again made it a two-point game with a dunk followed by a jumper on their next two possessions to make it a one score affair with 53 seconds remaining.
Hollis was later able to hit a on a jumper with 29 seconds left to go up four.
After a UMHB miss and foul, Hollis broke free on the ensuing inbound and rattled the rim on a dunk to go up six with 17 seconds remaining.
The Cru quickly hit a three with 10 seconds left, but Hollis was able to sink the first of two free throws after being fouled as the Lobos outlasted UMHB in a 93-89 classic battle of ASC foes.
Hollis and Bond both finished with 18 points on the night. Hollis tied a game-high nine rebounds, also good for a team-high, and four assists. Bond added seven rebounds and had three steals.
Jake Lopez tied a game-high with 10 assists. That was also good for team-high on the night.
Sully improves to 12-8 on the season, 9-2 in ASC play, and are winners of four straight. The Cru fall to 12-8 and 4-7.
The Lobos now make the short trek to Austin on Saturday for a 3:00 p.m. conference clash with Concordia.