LETU sweeps Highway 80 series

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MARSHALL, Texas – Replicating an instant classic is a lot to ask but that's what happened Thursday at Ornelas Arena in the latest edition of the Highway 80 rivalry.

LETU (15-2, 10-2 ASC) earned the 81-76 victory over ETBU (9-9, 7-6 ASC) in front of a crowd at full throat from the opening tip.

Just as the game in December, the home team jumped out to a large cushion only to have it dissipate in front of the home fans.

The YellowJackets overcame a 10-point halftime deficit by outscoring the Tigers 52-36 and remain a half game in front of UMHB atop the American Southwest Conference Standings.

A Chris Haynes' triple just a minute into the final stanza, moved the Tigers cushion back to double-digit for the final time. With 12 minutes remaining, LETU faced a 55-47 deficit. Over the next two minutes, the momentum swung the YellowJackets way, with an 11-2 spurt.

Andrew Eberhardt banked in his second of three triples during the stretch, sending the visiting fans into euphoria. LETU continued to increase its margin and holding its biggest advantage at 10 with 1:57 remaining.

ETBU made things interesting with eight-straight points, closing to within two with 22 seconds left. Eberhardt iced the contests, going 4 for 4 at the charity stripe.

Warren Richardson kept the YellowJackets in the contest, tallying 10 of his 20 points in the open period. He went 9 of 10 from the floor, while Kyle Matthews snagged 10 rebounds, the most by any player.

Eberhardt and Deonte Jackson, ranked second and third in points per game, finished with a game-high 24 points each for the YellowJackets.

ETBU built its largest lead at 33-18, with 7:21 remaining and carried a 10-point margin into the locker rooms. Hitting just nine buckets, outrebounded 9-2 on the offensive glass and being outscored 12-1 in second-chance points, the YellowJackets were saddled with their largest deficit of the season at the half.

The YellowJackets knocked down 19 of 24 attempts from the floor in the final 20 minutes, including 6 of 7 behind the three-point line.
 
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