ROUND ROCK, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' Cowboy basketball team overtook the Concordia Texas Tornados 77-65 after a rocky start on Thursday night in American Southwest Conference play.
 
Hardin-Simmons headed into the final week of the regular season at Concordia before the last game at Mary Hardin-Baylor on Saturday.
 
The Cowboys were down 36-28 after shooting 36 percent in the first half. Concordia shot 44 percent in the first to hold the narrow lead over HSU.
 
The Cowboys flipped the script and outscored the Tornados 49-29 in the second half to overtake Concordia by a final of 77-65.
 
In the second half, the Cowboy team shot 51 percent from the field and held their opponent to just six makes, with the Tornados going 6-26 for 35 percent shooting. Concordia got 16 of their 29 second-half points from the free-throw line.
 
Both Cowboy seniors Austin Brewer and Will Bartoszek had a great showing with 20 points each against Concordia.
 
Brewer amazingly scored all 24 points in the second half to propel the Cowboy lead late after a slow start. He added 12 rebounds to lead the team and achieve the double-double.  
 
Bartoszek scored 20 points shooting 7-12 and also had a double-double with 11 rebounds for the Cowboys.
 
Jalen McGee led the Cowboys with six assists and grabbed six rebounds for Hardin-Simmons.
 
The Cowboys improve to 19-5 and 11-3 in the conference with the regular season finale at Mary Hardin-Baylor Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
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