MARSHALL, Texas – In a game that would celebrate a historic season and symbolize their American Southwest Conference Championship run from 2017-18, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team cruised past the Texas Lutheran Bulldogs, 71-52, on their first victory at Ornelas Gymnasium improving to 3-0 on the season. ETBU jumped out to a 10-1 lead in the first four minutes of the game and never looked back.

ETBU also celebrated their 2017-18 ASC Championship and Elite 8 finish with a ring ceremony following the win over Schreiner. ETBU went 25-7 last year going 6-1 in the post season knocking off two nationally ranked teams for the best season in program history.

In the win over TLU, Kendrick Clark turned in a masterful performance for the Tigers, recording 25 points and five rebounds on an efficient 11-of-17 shooting from the floor and 3-of-7 shooting from deep. Kayla Bise scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc, while Valerie Matlock tallied 10 points, five assists and four steals in 24 minutes of work. As a team, ETBU shot 45.8 percent from the floor (27-of-59) and 28.6 percent from the three point line (8-of-28).

Clark ignited the offense for ETBU in the early going, scoring eight consecutive points capped off by a layup off the feed from Matlock to put her team on top 8-1 in the first three minutes. Taylor Singleton slithered her way into the paint and connected on a floater to further increase the lead to nine (10-1) at the 6:15 mark of the first quarter. The Tigers would push the lead to 10 over the next two minutes, with Mallory Stephens sinking a straight away jumper to bring the score to 14-4 at the 4:13 mark of the period. TLU cut into the deficit, but ultimately trailed 19-13 at the end of the first 10 minutes.

ETBU led 24-15 at the midway point of the second quarter until back-to-back three pointers by Bise increased the lead to 15 (30-15). Clark would once again be right in the middle of another Tiger takeover, scoring the next five points to keep the lead at 15 (35-20) in the final minute of the half. Anna Moss would close out the quarter with a free throw line jumper off the assist by Matlock, taking another 15 point lead into the break. The Tigers held the Bulldogs to just nine points in the second frame.

Clark started the second half the same way she began the contest, igniting a personal 6-0 spurt off of stifling defense to increase the lead to 23 (45-22) with 8:02 to play in the quarter. A three point play opportunity by April Matthews gave the Tigers their largest lead of the day, at 50-26 at the 6:21 mark of the period. But in spite of holding much of the momentum, TLU would chip away at the deficit, outscoring ETBU 20-18 in the third.

The Tigers managed to push the lead back up to 18 (61-43) in the opening minutes of the final frame, when Bise responded once again with back-to-back three pointers off assists by Sydney Saxton and Stephens to go back on top by 24, 67-43. ETBU would stave off any comeback efforts by the Bulldogs, winning the contest by a final score of 71-52.

The Tigers will close out the ASC/SCAC Crossover with a rematch against Schreiner University on Saturday, Nov. 17. The game is set to tip-off at 4:00 p.m. from Ornelas Gymnasium.