BROWNWOOD, Texas --Hudson Johnson totaled 22 points and Armonie Ramey added 21 and the Howard Payne men's basketball team defeated the East Texas Baptist Tigers 81-71 at home Tuesday.

Johnson and Ramey's stellar scoring performances led the Yellow Jackets (13-13) in the contest. Johnson tacked on six rebounds and Ramey added 14 rebounds and two steals. Trey Jackson also helped out with 11 points, six rebounds and two blocks.

Ramey pulled down eight offensive rebounds to lead the Howard Payne offense which grabbed 23 boards and turned them into 16 second chance points.

Howard Payne did a great job disrupting East Texas Baptist shots in the contest, coming away with eight blocks. Ben Phillip led the way individually for the Yellow Jackets with three rejections.

How It Happened

Howard Payne started out the scoring by going on an 11-0 run to take an early lead with 15:12 left in the first half. The Yellow Jackets then lost some of that lead, but still entered halftime with a 44-39 advantage. Howard Payne did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 30 of its 44 points close to the basket.

Howard Payne kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Ramey's three, to grow the lead to 65-57 with 9:08 to go in the contest. The Yellow Jackets kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 81-71 win. Howard Payne took care of business in the paint, recording 20 of its 37 points in the lane.

Game Notes

» Armonie Ramey notched an impressive double-double for the Yellow Jackets with 21 points and 14 rebounds.
» The Yellow Jackets held the Tigers to only 36.5 percent shooting from the field.
» Howard Payne never trailed on the way to an 81-71 victory.
» Howard Payne tallied 15 total assists in the game.
» Howard Payne had a 51-43 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Howard Payne defense forced 16 turnovers.
» The Yellow Jackets were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying eight blocks as a team.
» Howard Payne cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 23 offensive boards in the game.
» Hudson Johnson led the Yellow Jackets with 22 points and Armonie Ramey added 21.
» Howard Payne got a team-high 14 rebounds from Armonie Ramey.

Howard Payne will face Hardin-Simmons at 2:30 PM Thursday, February 27th in the ASC Semi-Finals.