ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' Cowboy basketball team won 98-93 against Howard Payne in the American Southwest Conference men's basketball tournament semifinal to advance to the ASC championship game on Saturday against UMHB at 6 p.m.
 
The Cowboys racked up 50 of their 98 points from a 30-point game by Asher Fleming and a 20-point game by Matthew Alexander. Both marks were career-high scoring games for the two Cowboys in the win.
 
Fleming shot 9-of-15 and scored 19 points in the first half for Hardin-Simmons. Alexander added six rebounds, six assists, and two blocks, and three steals to fill up the stat sheet in the all-around game.
 
Hardin-Simmons opened up quickly 6-0 with 3-pointers from Silas Davis and Fleming to start the game.
 
Howard Payne responded and cut it to 8-7 before a monster dunk from Chris Bryant stole the momentum back for the Cowboys. Bryant ended with 12 points and five blocked shots in the game. HSU rode the high to its biggest lead of the first half up 29-21 with under ten minutes to play.
 
The Yellow Jackets cut back into the lead before a great block by Tyler Williams led to his own break-away dunk for the Cowboys. Williams finished with 14 points and led with nine rebounds for Hardin-Simmons.
 
HPU kept it tooth and nail to the end of the first half, with the Cowboys leading 49-48 at the break.
 
The game stayed close in the second until Trevion Howell sunk a pair of 3-pointers to get the Cowboys up 67-60 with 13 minutes left. HSU then went on an 8-2 run to get to the biggest lead of the game, up 13 points at 75-62 over Howard Payne.
 
Howard Payne cut the lead to as little as four, down 86-82 with three minutes left, but the Cowboys locked down for the final frames and came away with the win 98-93.
 
Head coach Matt Brackett and the Cowboys advance to the 2025-26 ASC men's basketball tournament championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Mabee Athletic Complex against Mary Hardin-Baylor looking to repeat as ASC basketball champions.
 
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