BROWNWOOD, Texas – Howard Payne was able to hold off the late surge by Concordia University Texas to collect a 91-87 victory Saturday afternoon at Brownwood Coliseum.

The Yellow Jackets held an 85-73 advantage with 2:56 to play after HPU hit four consecutive three point buckets and two free-throws. However, the Tornados reeled off a 14-3 run that ended in a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 88-87 with 0:13 remaining.

CTX's Donavan Ford, who was fouled on the 3-point bucket, was unable to knock down the free throw forcing the Tornados to foul.

Howard Payne's Brandon Gould hit both shots from the charity stripe to push the lead to 90-87. The Tornados then missed a 3-pointer which would have tied the game on the ensuing possession. Khyce Randall was fouled after the Yellow Jackets secured the rebound and hit one of two free throws to seal the contest.

Brandon Gould paced Howard Payne with a game-high 29 points, four assists and three steals. Ty Davis followed with 20 points and seven rebounds. Khyce Randall scored 14 off the bench sparked by 3 of 3 three point shooting.

The Yellow Jackets shot a season high 54% from the field and 50% (7-14) from behind the arc. The 2-0 conference start is the best in eleven years for the Yellow Jackets.

Ford led CTX with 18 points and was joined in double figures by four other CTX players – Rashad Coleman (17 points), Josh Sanchez (15), Jeromy Bynum (11) and Andre Potts (10).

Howard Payne is now 2-3 overall and 2-0 in ASC play. Concordia falls to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in conference. The Jackets will play next on Dec.16th at home versus Hardin-Simmons University at 7:30 pm.