Dec 16, 2011
By Alan Wiederhold
LETU Sports Information
TYLER, Texas – Kendrae Carter scored 14 points and led four LeTourneau starters scoring in double figures as the YellowJackets claimed a come-from-behind 67-64 win Friday over Texas-Tyler.
At UT Tyler's Herrington Patriot Center, the Jackets claimed the lead for good when Carter knocked down a jumper with 1:55 remaining to take a 66-64 lead. LeTourneau then withstood four missed shots by the Patriots and sealed the game when Jourdan Hughes knocked down a free throw with two seconds left in the game.
The win gave the Jackets (2-7) their first win in American Southwest Conference play. LeTourneau is now 1-6 in the ASC East standings.
Carter scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the second half, shooting 5-of-7 from the floor after halftime.
Hughes finished the game with 12 points for the YellowJackets, followed by Deitrich Williams (Fort Worth, Texas/Grace Prep), who added 11 points. Trey Perkins (Groesbeck, Texas/Groesbeck) scored 10 points in his first start for LeTourneau.
Darren Houliston scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for UT Tyler (2-7, 1-6 ASC East). Houliston shot 8-of-8 from the floor in the first half, but only made one field goal after halftime.
The YellowJackets outscored the Patriots 9-2 between the 8:50 and 3:53 marks of the second half to take a 60-59 lead. Carter knocked down a difficult jumper in the paint to give the Jackets the lead for the first time with 5:08 remaining in the contest.
After the Patriots tied the game by making one out of two free throws with 3:53 left to play, the two teams exchanged baskets until LeTourneau claimed the lead for good in the final two minutes.
Luke Taylor, Jr. (Houston, Texas/Elsik) played a key role for the Jackets late in the second half, securing three of his team-high seven rebounds in the final 10 minutes of the period.
Cristian Driver (Houston, Texas/Atascocita) scored seven points off the LeTourneau bench, draining two 3-pointers in the game.
The Jackets will take a couple of weeks off for Christmas and then be back in action New Year's Eve when they host Hendrix College in a non-conference matchup. Tipoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. at LeTourneau's Solheim Arena.