Campus News

W BASKETBALL: Lady Tigers strengthen playoff chances with 72-47 win over UT Tyler

MARSHALL, Texas (2/4/10) – ETBU strengthened its place in the standings Thursday night by quickly turning its home finale against Texas-Tyler into a rout, cruising past the Patriots for a convincing 72-47 win that puts the Lady Tigers squarely in the driver’s seat for a return to the postseason.

ETBU (11-10, 9-7 American Southwest Conference) moved 1 ½ games ahead of the Patriots (9-11, 7-8) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the ASC East Division. ETBU has just four games left on its schedule, all on the road, and the Lady Tigers now own the head-to-head tiebreaker over Texas-Tyler.

ETBU is also still in the race for the third seed in the ASC East, trailing Mississippi College by two games.

The Lady Tigers rallied from a 16-point deficit last Thursday night in Tyler to clip the Patriots 64-61. But the rematch lacked any drama after halftime, with ETBU doubling UT Tyler on the scoreboard with a 33-16 advantage. ETBU held the Patriots to just six made baskets in the first half.

The second-half lead surged to over 30 points before the Patriots were able to close it to the final 25-point margin.

Senior Satara Harrell led ETBU with 16 points and seven rebounds, while playing in her final home game as a Lady Tiger. Fellow senior Karlee Wilson added four points and a game-high eight rebounds in her final appearance in Ornelas Gym.

Junior Priscilla Galliguez exploded for ETBU with 14 points, shooting 4 of 7 from three-point range to reach her career high as a Lady Tiger.

ETBU also was a perfect 15 for 15 from the free-throw line. The Lady Tigers have hit at a 73 percent clip (100 of 138) from the charity stripe during the last five wins in their current six-game winning streak.

ETBU will now get a much-needed week off before returning to action next Thursday on the road at division-leading Louisiana College.