MARSHALL, Texas – East Texas Baptist University's Payton Hicks nailed two free throws with one second left in the game as the Tigers upset #9 Hardin-Simmons University, 66-65, in American Southwest Conference play. ETBU was down as many as 14 points in the game before coming back to take the lead in the third quarter. ETBU is now 2-6 on the year and 1-1 in the ASC as they faced their fourth nationally ranked team this season.
"These are the moments that we live for. We practice every day and we work on free throws every day, so, at that point it's just muscle memory – just go up to the line and know its going in," said Hicks about the game winning free throws.
Three players finished in double figures as Jayla Hall had 16 points and eight rebounds. Faith Sechrist hit three three-pointers recording 10 points while Tristan Smith shot .500 from then floor for 10 points. Kadia Ward led the team with 10 rebounds as eight were on defense. HSU's Paris Kiser had 19 points.
ETBU had their best free throw shooting percentage of the year going 17-of-18 (94 percent). They also made five three-pointers (25 percent) and shot 36 percent from the floor. HSU shot 40 percent from the floor, 41 percent from the arc (10-of-24), and were 9-of-14 (64 percent) from the line. ETBU almost doubled HSU in rebounds, 48-25, but also had 20 turnovers that went for 27 Cowgirl points.
The game featured 14 lead changes and 12 ties but it didn't start off that way. HSU shot 56 percent in the first quarter for a 24-13 lead. ETBU had an 8-7 lead at 6:09 on a Smith layup but almost two minutes later HSU was up by seven, 15-8, on an 8-0 run. A Michaela James layup with 2:10 left cut the lead to four, 17-13, but HSU finished on a 7-0 run for a 24-13 advantage.
The game changed in the second period in favor of ETBU as they shot 46 percent making two of their five three-pointers in this period. HSU, though, pushed their lead to 14, 31-17, four minutes into the period. At the 4:34 mark, ETBU was still down by 12, 33-21, but turned up the defense going on a 13-0 run over the next four minutes to take a one-point lead, 34-33, at the half. Hicks started the run with two made free throws followed by a Hannah Ayala jumper and Sechrist three-pointer off an Ashlynn Galvin steal to cut the lead to six, 33-27 (3:16). Galvin had a block at the 2:33 mark which led to a James layup 10 seconds later (33-29). Sechrist hit one free throw with 1:57 left and then an Alaya layup put ETBU within one, 33-32, at the 1:07 mark. Ward was fouled with 45 seconds left and made both shots to give ETBU the lead, 34-33. ETBU outscored HSU, 21-9, in the period as they went to halftime.
Smith started the third quarter with at layup for a three-point lead, 36-33, and by 7:29 the ETBU lead was five on two Ward free throws. HSU tied the game at 38 (5:53) as there were four lead changes in the final five minutes. Alexis Purcell hit a three-pointer with two minutes left to put ETBU back up, 43-41, but HSU made it a three-point lead, 46-43 with 31 seconds left. Purcell brought the lead to one, 46-45, with three seconds left on a big jumper as ETBU was down one headed to the final period.
ETBU scored the first four points in the fourth quarter for a one-point lead, 49-46, on two free throws from Smith and a jumper from Hall. At the 6:48 mark, Hall made two free throws for a four-point lead, again, 53-49. HSU scored the next seven points for a 56-53 lead but a Galvin three-pointer at 4:47 tied it at 56. Under a minute later, Hall added a layup for a two-point lead, 58-56. With 1:06 left in the game, Hicks tied the game at 64 on a layup. Just 20 seconds later, HSU made one of two free throws for the one-point lead, 65-64.
With the ball and 46 seconds left ETBU had a chance to take the lead but turned the ball over 10 seconds later with 34 seconds left. HSU used the 30-second shot clock to run the clock down but ETBU's defense didn't allow a Cowgirl shot with a shot-clock violation. This gave the ball back to ETBU with four seconds left. Taking the ball out at half court, Hicks was giving the ball and went to drive when she was fouled with one second left. She then made both free throws for the win as the ETBU defense didn't allow HSU to get a shot off in the upset win, 66-65.
ETBU will travel to Concordia University Texas next Thursday to face the Tornados at 5:30 p.m.