BELTON, Texas – The LETU men's basketball settled for a runner-up finish in the 2022 American Southwest Conference Championship, falling to No. 7 UMHB 99-82, at the Mayborn Campus Center Saturday.
 
The YellowJackets drop to 22-5 on the campaign, while the Crusaders improved to 25-2.
 
Andrew Eberhardt finished with 21 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Kyle Matthews tallied 18 points, seven boards and three assists. The duo from Dawson High School in Pearland, Texas, garnered All-Tournament Team honors.
 
Deonte Jackson paced LETU's offense with 25 points, adding four assists and a pair of rebounds. Warren Richardson added 12 points.
 
In a matchup of the top two teams, the Crusaders capitalized on points off turnovers and second-chance opportunities. Forcing six more miscues, UMHB outscored LETU 19-7, and where plus-11 in second-chance points.
 
The YellowJackets trailed 48-38 at the half and never fully recovered, despite shooting 51% from the field, including 40% from three-point range.

The 22 wins is the most for a first-year head coach in program history, while the .815 winning percentage ranks second in 75 years of LETU basketball. The 2017-18 squad finished with a mark of 24-5 (.828).
 
UMHB earns the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. LETU must wait until Monday to find out their fate, when the bracket is announced at 12:30 p.m. The bracket will be streamed here.