Abram Choate, SID

KERRVILLE, Texas - The Yellow Jackets of Howard Payne were able to erase a 10 point second half deficit but fell short in the end losing to the Scheiner University Mountaineers 88-82, Thursday night.

Some shaky free throw shooting by Schreiner in the closing minutes opened the door for a Howard Payne comeback, but three Schreiner players combined to go 6-for-6 in the final 38 seconds to give SU the margin it needed for an 88-82 win.

The two teams traded baskets and the lead throughout much of the first half with no team getting ahead by more than five points.  The Mountaineers had the biggest lead, 39-34, with 4:30 to play before halftime, but HPU closed the half with a 10-5 run to tie the game at 44-all.

In the second half, SU looked like it might pull away as the Mountaineers held a 59-49 lead with 11:30 remaining.  On several occasions, the Yellow Jackets closed the game to five.  The closest HPU got was 75-73 after a made three-pointer with 2:30 remaining in regulation.

The final 38 seconds decided the outcome.  First, Kevin Deans hit a pair of free throws to give SU an 84-79 lead.  After a Kendrick Johnson three-pointer brought HPU back within two, Richard Moore answered with two free throws of his own.  Howard Payne tried frantically to cut back into the deficit but Travis Clark's steal and two free throws with three seconds left provided the final score.

HPU's Kendrick Johnson (Houston) led all scorers with 26 points. Tom Hermann (Fort Worth) had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sean Wheeler (San Angelo) grabbed 11 boards and scored 7 points, while John Bryant (China Springs) came off the bench to score 10.

Schreiner was led by Deans with 21 points and 8 rebounds.  Moore added 19 points and 8 boards while Jonathan Young chipped in 14 points and four assists. 

The Yellow Jackets play at Texas Lutheran on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.