ATLANTA, Ga. – A fierce second half defense and powerful offense led to #2 East Texas Baptist University coming from behind to take a 20-point win over Emory University in the Snyder Classic. ETBU was down by as many as six points in the first half but then held Emory to making just six shots in the second half. ETBU is now 2-1 on the year.
Taylor Singleton broke out with a career-high 19 points shooting 81% from the floor (9-of-11) with eight rebounds to lead the team. Mallory Stephens followed with 18 points, five rebounds, and went 9-of-11 from the foul line. Mollie Dittmar then added nine points and eight rebounds making all five of her free throws. Emory's Tori Huggins led her team with 18 points.
ETBU shot 42% from the floor, 27% from the arc, and 79% from the foul line and held Emory to 32% overall, 31% from the arc, and 77% from the stripe. Emory out rebounded ETBU, 33-31, but the Tigers forced 22 turnovers scoring 19 points.
Jumping out to an early lead in the first quarter, 9-0, ETBU set a presence early with what they could do. Three straight three-pointers, two by Grace Stephens, put ETBU up by nine. Singleton made it 13-3 just four minutes into the half but Emory fought back. In the final six minutes, Emory went on an 11-5 run to end the half down just four points, 18-14.
That momentum rolled over into the second quarter for Emory as they took a one-point lead, 19-18, at the 7:21 mark. With the game tied at 21 (5:56), Emory once again went on a run to take a six-point lead. Their 8-2 run gave them a 29-23 lead at the 1:16 mark but in the final 38 seconds Singleton nailed two jump shots to pull ETBU within two, 29-27, at the half.
The second half became a different story as ETBU put the defensive pressure on. Emory kept their lead for the first four minutes and had a four-point lead within the first minute. Down three, 35-32, with 6:21 to go in the quarter, ETBU went on a 13-0 run over five minutes for a 10-point lead, 45-35. Singleton, Haley Fieseler, and Mallory Stephens all scored in the run as Stephens hit a three-pointer to put ETBU up by 10. Emory did pull within eight, 45-37, to end the third quarter.
ETBU outscored Emory, 21-9, in the fourth quarter putting on an offensive and defensive show all at once. Emory sliced the lead to six, 45-39, at the 9:12 mark but that is as close as they would come. ETBU scored the next six points to push the lead to 12, 51-39, on shots from Fieseler and Singleton and two free throws Jade Goynes. The lead never dropped below double digits after that point. Two free throws from Mallory Stephens at the 3:06 mark made it a 15-point lead, 56-41. Kaia Williams ended the game with two free throws to give ETBU their largest lead of the game (20-points), 66-46.
STAT OF THE GAME
ETBU held Emory to no three-pointers in the third quarter and just eight points. Emory made only six shots in the second half.
NOTES
- Emory is the third regional opponent that ETBU has played this year as all received votes in the D3hoops.com preseason poll (Trinity University, Rhodes College, Emory).
- Second time this season that Mallory Stephens has posted 18 points (posted 18 vs. Trinity)
- Taylor Singleton scored a career-high 19 points shooting 9-of-11 (.818) from the floor leading the team with eight rebounds
- ETBU held Emory to just 24% shooting in the second half and 1-of-10 from three-point line
- It is the fourth time this season that ETBU has scored 20+ points in a quarter scoring 21 in the fourth quarter
- It is the first time this year that ETBU has held a team to back-to-back quarters in single digits (8 in the 3rd quarter and 9 in the 4th quarter)
- Holding Emory to eight points in the third quarter is the lowest outcome of any team this year
UP NEXT
ETBU will play Ferrum College at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday in Atlanta, Ga. It will be the first meeting between the two teams as Ferrum is 1-3. Ferrum is from Virginia and a member of the ODAC.