By Alan Wiederhold
Sports Information Director
LeTourneau University

MARSHALL, Texas – The second-place East Texas Baptist Tigers withstood a comeback attempt by LeTourneau and defeated the YellowJackets 87-83 in overtime Saturday.

Jeremy LaGarde scored a game-high 39 points to lead the Tigers (14-9), who improved to 11-7 to remain behind division-leader Texas-Dallas in the American Southwest Conference's East Division. LaGarde, a transfer from Division II Arkansas-Monticello, played 41 minutes and shot 14-of-24 from the field.

The Tigers won the game at the 3-point circle, as they drained 59 percent (13 of 22) of their long-range shots. ETBU players shot better from behind the arc than they did from the free throw line, where the Tigers shot only 50 percent (12 of 24).

Cristian Driver (Houston, Texas/Atascocita) led four LeTourneau players scoring in double-figures as he matched his career-high by scoring 19 points. Driver shot 7-of-13 from the field and made two 3-pointers for the YellowJackets (4-19, 3-15 ASC East).

Trey Perkins (Groesbeck, Texas/Groesbeck) and Deitrich Williams (Fort Worth, Texas/Grace Prep Academy) scored 16 points apiece for the YellowJackets. Perkins, a freshman post, was 7-of-9 from the field, but drew tougher and tougher defensive matchups as the game wore on.

Josh Thornton (DeSoto, Texas/Grace Prep Academy) added 12 points off the LeTourneau bench.

East Texas Baptist led by as many as nine points with 4:14 left to play in the first half, but the Jackets finished the period with a 9-2 run to trim the Tigers' lead to 34-32 at the midgame break.

The Tigers tried to pull away in the second half but were never able to increase their lead beyond three possessions. The Jackets erased a 59-53 deficit with an 8-2 run between the 7:48 and 6:12 marks that was sparked by five points from Williams and a 3-pointer by Thornton.

The Jackets shot 39 percent (7 of 18) from 3-point range, tying their best showing of the season in conference play.

ETBU appeared to take control of the game late in the second period when a layup from Ahnre' Gray stretched the Tiger lead to 70-66 with 2:32 remaining. However, the Jackets responded with a 3-pointer from Driver and following a turnover, took the lead on a pull-up jumper by Thornton with 1:17 remaining.

LaGarde then brought the home crowd to its feet when he answered with a 3-pointer, but that in turn was matched with another trey from Williams with 36 seconds remaining. Following an ETBU turnover, the Tigers were forced to foul Driver, who made one out of two free throws to give the Jackets a 75-73 lead with 20 seconds left.

Down by two, the Tigers again gave the ball to LaGarde, who forced overtime with a leaning jumper in the paint with nine seconds left in the half.

The Jackets struck first in the extra session when Williams sank a pair of free throws, but the Tigers immediately clawed back on top with a 3-pointer by Jaron Joseph to give ETBU a 78-77 lead at the 4:26 mark.

LeTourneau would tie the game once more when Thornton knocked down a jumper with 2:17 remaining to knot the score at 83. The Tigers responded with a layup by LaGarde that LeTourneau was unable to match. After an exchange of missed shots, ETBU put the game away with a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left in the frame.

The YellowJackets contest their final stretch of games next week at home against Ozarks and Texas-Dallas. LeTourneau hosts Ozarks on Thursday at Solheim Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.