MARSHALL, Texas – A stifling defense in the third quarter led East Texas Baptist University to an upset win over #10 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor in American Southwest Conference women's basketball, 66-59. ETBU allowed just six points in that quarter and built a lead up to 19 points in the game. ETBU is now 7-2 and 3-1 in the ASC.

"Our big thing is we talked about our effort and communication on the defensive end. Offense will control itself and you can't control shot making. Today was all about contain and contest and finish that big possession with a rebound and ultimately, we did that at a pretty good level," said head coach Blake Arbogast. "Every night at our practices you will see it is everybody from the top down with this team. Our bench energy was great tonight and all the people that came in today. It was a complete win today."

These two teams have split the last three contests against each at 3-3 each. In five of the six meetings, at least one team has been ranked and three times both teams were.

On a career night for Mollie Dittmar, she posted 26 points shooting 7-of-10 from the floor (70 percent) making 12-of-13 free throws (92 percent) grabbing eight rebounds. Bridget Upton followed with 11 points and six rebounds while Brooke Webster had 10 points and seven rebounds. Kenidi added eight rebounds and seven points, too. UMHB's Arieona Rosborough led her team with 11 points.

It was the ETBU defense that won the game holding UMHB to just 27 percent shooting and 25 percent from the arc. ETBU, in return, made 48 percent from the floor but shot just 16 percent from the free throw line. They also swooshed 23-of-30 shots from the stripe for 76 percent.  

With only one lead change in the first two quarters, ETBU took a 6-0 lead to start the game on two free throws from Dittmar and buckets from Webster and Alexis Purcell. UMHB didn't record their first made shot until the 4:58 mark. Dittmar gave ETBU their largest lead of the quarter (6 points), 13-7, with a lay up at the 1:09 mark. UMHB scored with 40 seconds left to trail, 13-9 at the end of the first.

It was a slow paced first five minutes of the second quarter as ETBU had a five-point lead, 18-13, with 5:09 to go on an Upton shot. By the 3:32 mark, UMHB cut the lead to one, 20-19, on a 6-2 run. With 1:51 on the clock, UMBH took their first lead of the game, 24-22, but Hannah Matthews came in off the bench and banked in a shot to tie it at 24. Webster put ETBU back in the lead with one-minute left but UMBH tied it with 42 seconds left on two free throws to go into the half all knotted up at 26.

ETBU allowed just six points in the third quarter holding UMHB to 11 percent shooting. Four points from Upton and a layup by Dittmar in the first three minutes put ETBU back in front, 32-26. UMHB hit a three-pointer to bring the lead down to three, 32-29, at the 5:59 mark but ETBU went on a 16-3 run over the next six minutes to take a 16-point lead, 48-32, at the end of the quarter.

Dittmar converted a three-point play to start the fourth quarter at the 9:15 mark to extend ETBU's lead to 19 points, 51-32. As it looked to get out of control, UMHB slowly reeled the game back with scoring 27 points in the quarter on 38 percent shooting. UMHB responded over the next four minutes with a 14-4 run to pull with in nine, 55-46 (5:18). Dittmar had another layup giving ETBU a double-digit lead again with five minutes left in the game. With 1:37 left, UMHB had the lead down to five points, 60-55, but ETBU went four-of-four from the line make it 64-55 with 56 seconds left to play. After a UMHB bucket, Webster put the lead back at nine, 66-57 with 36 seconds to go and then UMHB had two free throws just before time expired for a 66-59 final.

ETBU will next play on Saturday, December 17, when they travel to LeTourneau University at 1:00 p.m.