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Contributed by: Dave Beyer, McMurry Sports Information Director
ABILENE, Texas - It may have been since 2011-12 since McMurry University men's basketball last faced off against crosstown rival Hardin-Simmons, but the two schools picked right up where they left off. The War Hawks rode a career-high 27-points from LaRandall Scroggins to a 93-90 win over the Cowboys at Kimbrell Arena.
McM improved to 3-15 on the year, while HSU fell to 10-7 overall. The Cowboys still lead the overall series between the schools, but by the slimmest of margins, at 41-40.
Scroggins' scoring led either team, as he hit 10-of-16 from the field and was 7-for-9 from the free throw line. Scroggins also shared team rebound honors by grabbing six boards.
McM junior Nate Estrada added 13 points, hitting all six of his free throw attempts. Senior Chris Cerny came off the McM bench to chip in 10 points, thanks to a 4-of-6 effort from the field and 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.
Other scorers for the War Hawks included nine points - and five rebounds - from Aaron Gettys and a seven point/six rebound day from Blake Cochran. Gabriel Chacon's eight points, six points each from Calvin McGee and Zachary Campbell, four from Romelo Robinson and three from Cameron Jackson rounded out McMurry's point total.
Cochran and McGee each passed off for four assists.
Neither team was able to pull away in the first half of play, as there were five ties and 10 lead changes in the first 20 minutes. The War Hawks took the lead for good with 2:23 left in the opening segment on a three-ball from Jackson that made it 32-29 and helping his team to a 41-33 halftime cushion.
In the second half, McM began to step on the accelerator and built a 16-point advantage on two occasions (the last of which came on a trey from Chacon with11:03 remaining). However, as anyone who has ever seen a McMurry-HSU encounter can attest, no lead is safe when these two teams play.
The Cowboys whittled at the War Hawks lead, getting it to single digits and down to three points, 74-71, with 6:18 left. With 34 seconds left in the game, a pair of free throws by HSU's Nathaniel Jack (19 points) made it 91-87.
After being intentionally fouled, Estrada made good on two free throws with 16 seconds to play. An uncontested three by HSU as the clock expired left the final score the 93-90 final.
Both teams shot well from the field. The Cowboys hit 45 percent (28-62), while the War Hawks shot a season-high 52 percent (32-62). McM's bench out-scored the HSU reserves, 32-17.
McMurry will next be in action on Thursday (Jan. 28), hosting Concordia University-Texas at Kimbrell Arena for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off.
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