BELTON, Texas – An exciting season for #24 East Texas Baptist University came to a heartbreaking end as #17 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor sank a buzzer-beating shot to advance on in the NCAA Division III National Tournament, 72-70. ETBU ends their season at 24-6 with the second most wins in the NCAA Division III era and third all-time.
 
Jayden Williams came off the bench to record 14 points on four three-pointers made as Jaden Conner added 13 points with three three-pointers and six rebounds. Aaron Gregg finished with 12 points and seven rebounds also canning three three-pointers. Kevin Charles added 11 points and eight rebounds. Darry Moore went over the 1,000-point career mark with nine points finishing with eight rebounds. In just two years he now has 1,007 points. UMHB's Josiah Johnson led all scorers with 32 points shooting almost 50 percent from the floor.
 
Both teams shot 46 percent from the floor as ETBU made 50 percent of their three-pointers (11-of-22) and went 7-of-10 from the line. UMHB was held to just 34 percent shooting in the first half but exploded for 61 percent in the second to finish at 46 percent. ETBU won the rebounding edge, 36-31, and forced nine turnovers.
 
With 11 seconds left in the game, Gregg knocked down the go-ahead three-pointer for a one-point lead, 70-69. UMHB came down the floor and had the ball pushed out of Johnson's hand but a teammate flipped it back to him as he dashed ETBU's hope of moving on. Guarded closely by Ryan Elzy, Johnson let a long range three-pointer go from the right side of the arc right after his teammate tipped it back to him that swooshed in to give the Crusaders the two-point win, 72-70.
 
There were eight lead changes in the game as the two top 25 teams battled it out. Williams hit his third three-pointer of the game with 52 seconds left to tie it at 67. Johnson then hit two free throws with 35 seconds left for a two-point lead, 69-67. ETBU worked the ball around taking 24 seconds off the clock when Gregg hit the go-ahead three-pointer setting up the buzzer beater.
 
Neither team had more than a four-point lead in the second half and each time would come back to retake the lead. With 1:57 left in the game, UMHB had a four-point lead, 65-61, only to see ETBU tie it at 67 on a 6-2 run. That is how the entire second half went after UMHB took a one-point lead into the half, 30-29.
 
ETBU had a 10-point lead in the first half, 19-9, in the first 11 minutes. Elzy hit the jumper to go up by 10 with 9:12 left to play. At 8:25, Conner connected on a shot in the paint pushing the lead to 12, 21-9. That is the largest lead any team had in the game. UMHB, though, finished the final eight minutes outscoring ETBU, 21-8, to take the one-point halftime lead.
 
The 2022-23 season for ETBU brought the program's second American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship, their first national ranking since the 2015-16 season, and their second appearance in the NCAA Tournament.