LONGVIEW – LeTourneau University men's basketball team picked up its second regular season victory of the season, beating Mary Hardin-Baylor, 84-67, Thursday.

The YellowJackets (2-0) held the Crusaders to 4 of 22 three-point shooting in a stingy display of perimeter defense.

Andrew Eberhardt scored 27 points on 11 of 22 shooting, including 4 of 11 from 3-point range, and grabbed eight rebounds. Deonte Jackson had 18 points and four rebounds, while going 6-for-6 from the free throw line, and John Argue added 17 points, 12 boards and three blocks.

"I thought our ball movement and offensive rebounding were the keys to the win tonight," LETU coach Dan Miller said.

LeTourneau had 20 assists on 29 field goals, and had 18 of its 49 rebounds on the offensive glass. Kyle Matthews finished with a career-high 15 boards, including four on the offensive end. Argue grabbed five offensive rebounds.

Matthews matched a career-best with six assists before fouling out.  

"It was great to see Kyle attack the glass all game," Miller said.

LETU opened a 15-point lead, 20-5, with 14:54 remaining in the first half when Jackson tripled. UMHB (2-2) cut it to 10 when Josiah Johnson, who finished with 39 points on 12 of 25 shooting, knocked down a jumper after canning a three within a 28-second span. Kyce Wilson's three-pointer at the 10:54 mark extended LeTourneau's lead back to 17, but the Cru used an 8-0 run to cut it to 29-20 with 8:35 to play in the half.

Jackson tripled again at the 4:41 mark, but Johnson sank a pair of free throws, and Kyle Wright scored in the paint as UMHB trimmed the gap to nine twice more – the latter time with 2:35 left on the first half clock. After Eberhardt scored in the paint on a find from Argue, Johnson knocked down a jumper in the paint, and Carson Hammond scored on a layup to end the first half as the Cru pulled within 39-32.

LeTourneau shot 32 percent in the first half. Mary Hardin-Baylor shot 38 percent.
Hammond scored 2:01 into the second half as the Cru sliced LETU's lead to a single possession, but Jordan Pride tipped in a putback on Jackson's initial shot as the Jackets gave themselves a seven-point cushion. Warren Richardson sank a pair of free throws at the 10:41 mark as LeTourneau climbed ahead 56-44. Mary Hardin-Baylor was never able to trim the deficit under double digits the rest of the way.

LeTourneau outscored UMHB, 23-7, in second chance opportunities. Both teams scored 36 points in the paint.

The Cru committed 13 of their 20 turnovers in the first half. The YellowJackets scored 18 points off turnovers.

"We have some things to clean up," Miller said, "but that was a nice way to end 2020 as a team."

LETU will host Hardin-Simmons Jan. 7 in the American Southwest Conference opener.