ALPINE, Texas - A strong second half by the Lobos was not enough to overcome the Crusaders of Mary Hardin-Baylor in a 83-75 Thursday night loss at the Gallego Center.

Both clubs started out solidly with the Lobos gaining and maintaining an early lead after back-to-back threes from Deveraux Minix and Jake Lopez followed by a layup by Julian Paredes. But Byrale Carter and Josiah Johnson put a stop to any potential run with two quick threes of their own to regain the lead. It was a tight start and buckets were hard to come by with neither team able to really break away. At 16-14 favoring UHMB, Sul Ross suddenly found themselves struggling to capitalize on possessions while the Crusaders were able to carve out a ten-point lead with 7:22 to go in the first half. The length of their opponent proved tricky for the usually crisp passing Lobos to navigate as they struggled to find the fast paced rhythm they're accustomed to. While the Crusaders continued to hammer hard in the paint which would become a defining factor in this game. Sul Ross found themselves down by 13 heading into the second half. 

Senior guard Tristen Licon started off the comeback effort with a quick layup, but Ty Prince and Josiah Johnson converted on the next two offensive possessions to grow the lead to 15 for the Crusaders. A steal by Licon followed by two hard nosed buckets seemed to be pulling Sul Ross back into the game, but UHMB kept the Lobos at a double-digit deficit for much of the second half despite a hard fought effort to claw back into the game. A big blow for Sul Ross came at about the mid-way point of the second half when it appeared that Licon came down awkwardly trying to secure a rebound. He was helped to the sidelines to be looked at. 

UHMB continued to be proficient on the offensive end as the Lobos tried to relocate their footing. Then they started to fight back. After the lead once again reached the 15 mark, Carson Perkins and Julian Paredes began to the lead the charge back. A Perkins three pointer closed the gap to eight points with 11:01 to go. But Ty Prince and Kyle Wright managed to push the lead to 17 over the next two minutes. A large part of that was a technical foul off a rebound under SR's basket that was reviewed at length resulting in two points and possession for the Crusaders. From there, the Lobos struggled to get back into the game and watched the lead stretch to 21 at the 5:41 mark. The largest of the game. However, the fight in this team is ever present. With 2:59 to go and the win seemingly out of reach, they roared back as fast as they could. A pair of three pointers from Paredes and some great team defense that lead to points on the other side cut the lead to ten. However, time was against them. A late layup from Caelyb Kerley cut it to under double digits but the comeback was cut short by the buzzer in the 83-75 loss.

The loss of Licon's explosiveness was a factor in the final result. The Lobos did outscore the Crusaders in the second half but trailed by double digits for most of it. They got beat in the paint as UMHB tallied 38 points to SR's 22. Their opponent also collected an additional 12 on the fast break while Sul Ross grabbed only four points. Sul Ross' bench stepped up with the absence of Licon and contributed 28 points which were an important factor in the second half in their comeback attempt. The need to slow them down led to a healthy night at the free throw line for UMHB as they made the trip 20 times while converting 16 compared to Sul Ross' 6 attempts. 

Julian Paredes carried the load with 24 points and 7 rebounds. Licon, on a short night's work, finished with 11 and 7 in 23 minutes. Omar Boone had an efficient night with 12 points, two boards, and a steal on 5-of-14 shooting which puts the Lobos with three double-digit scorers on the night. 

The Crusaders also had three double-digit scorers. Josiah Johnson led the way with 20. Byrale Carter and Ty Prince followed up with 19 and 16 respectively. Carter's outing also resulted in a double-double with 11 rebounds.  

This drops the Lobos to 7-7 overall and 5-4 in the ASC. 

Sul Ross now faces Concordia on Saturday, February 6 starting at 3:00 p.m. at the Gallego Center.