MARSHALL, Texas – A slow start in the first half combined with 26 turnovers did not turn out to well for East Texas Baptist University in their first of six straight home games as they fell to the University of Texas-Tyler (10-6/5-5) in American Southwest Conference East play. ETBU did not hit their first bucket of the game until almost four minutes into the game and had 15 first half turnovers.
Texas-Tyler's win gives them a tie for fourth place in the ASC East now with ETBU as the Tigers are also 10-6 and 5-5 in the East. ETBU and Texas-Tyler are a game and a half back of Mississippi College who is 6-3 in the East and 9-6 overall.
April Leonard finished with 19 points, her second best scoring game of the year, shooting 60 percent from the floor and making 5-of-7 free throws. Mary Slaughter finished with 11 points and four steals while Brandace Latin produced 10 points and three assists. Brittany King put in 19 points for Texas-Tyler while She'Cara Humphrey added 17.
Cutting the lead to two, 46-44, with 12:17 left and momentum on their side it looked as though ETBU would break through the Texas-Tyler defensive pressure. ETBU was down by as many as 14 in the first half and six at the break, 35-29. Still down six, 41-35, with 15:52 left in the game, ETBU went on a 9-5 run to pull within two, 46-44. Slaughter started the run converting a three-point play but Texas-Tyler scored the next three points on a bucket and one free throw putting the lead back to six. An Amanda Rucker free throw followed by a Latin jumper with 12:54 left, ETBU was now within three, 44-41. Texas-Tyler's Humphrey nailed a jumper for a five-point lead but Patrice Parker banked in a shot and one on a foul for a three-point conversion as ETBU was back to within two, 46-44. That was the last bucket by ETBU for the next three minutes as Texas-Tyler went on an 8-0 run for a 10-point lead, 54-44.
Leonard made back-to-back three-pointers to keep ETBU within seven, twice, as that is as close as the Tigers would come to Texas-Tyler in the last nine minutes. Texas-Tyler had the lead to 13 points, twice, in the final six and half minutes and made it a 14-point game with 4:41 left, 68-54. ETBU did cut their lead in half to seven, 68-61, on a 7-0 run in the final four and half minutes but it was too late as Texas-Tyler had done enough to steal the win from the Tigers.
Shooting 43 percent, ETBU made 41 percent of their three-pointers and 70 percent of their free throws. Texas-Tyler only made 37 percent from the floor, 22 percent from the arc, and 70 percent from the line. Texas-Tyler did have 16 more rebounds than ETBU, 45-29, and forced 26 turnovers for 24 points.
ETBU will host LeTourneau on Thursday, January 17th, at 5:30 p.m. in Ornelas Gym in another ASC East game.