An 8-1 spurt midway through the second half propelled Concordia to a 77-69 win over the LeTourneau University men's basketball team on Thursday night in Solheim Arena.
 
The Yellow Jackets (2-7, 1-5 ASC) had four players score in double figures including junior Josh Thornton, who scored 17 off the bench to share in game-high honors. Senior Justin Jones had a double double with 15 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, sophomores Chris Hynes and Ladaria Brown added 14 and 10 points, respectively.
 
The Tornados (7-2, 4-2 ASC) landed four players in double digits including a pair with 17 each as juniors Adam Whitlock and Josh Sanchez shared in game-high honors. Senior Dwayne Patterson had a double double with 12 points and 10 rebounds; plus junior Brett DeMetrotion added 11 in the win.
 
The contest was tied on six occasions and the lead exchanged hands on five occasions. After the third-straight point by Thornton for LeTourneau tied the game at 48, the visitors from Austin got a layup from DeMetrotion that put them up by two – 50-48 –and for the rest of the contest.
 
The Tornados eventually stretched the margin to as much as 11 but the YellowJackets clawed back to cut the deficit to as little as four, 68-64, with 1:40 to go on a three-point play by Jones. On the ensuing possession, Sanchez banked in a 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down for a 71-64 lead with 1:08 to go.
 
Despite the defeat, Hynes handed out eight assists and had eight rebounds for LeTourneau. Thornton and Brown also were active on the boards with eight and seven, respectively.
 
For Concordia, Whitlock had eight rebounds, senior Jonathan Garza and Sanchez each handed out five assists for the victors.
 
It will be a quick turnaround for LeTourneau as they will host Mary-Hardin Baylor, who lost in the NCAA Division III Championship game in 2012-13, on Saturday, Jan. 4 at 3 p.m. inside Solheim Arena.