Tiger Basketball vs. Hardin-Simmons

BASKETBALL (M): MARSHALL, Texas (12/06/12) – Taking the game down to the wire again in the final minute, East Texas Baptist University came up short to the American Southwest Conference West leaders Hardin-Simmons University, 78-74. This was the fifth game this season that was decided in the final minute for ETBU as they have won two of them.

Moving to 2-5 overall and 0-3 in the American Southwest Conference, ETBU shot 43% from the floor and forced 27 turnovers with 15 steals scoring 33 points off the Hardin-Simmons turnovers. Four players finished in double figures as Junior Mitchell posted 16 points. Chris Collins followed with 14 points while Monty Grays added 13 points and Jaron Joseph 10 points. Justin Felicia grabbed seven rebounds and had two blocked shots. HSU’s Eric Taylor led his team with 16 points.

Starting the game off slow, down 8-0 in the first three minutes, ETBU did not hit their first basket until the 16:16 mark on a Felicia lay up. It was not until the 12:39 mark that a bucket was made by Hardin-Simmons as they moved into double-digits, 10-2. With 12:11 left, they put the lead at 10 points, 12-2. In the next four and half minutes, ETBU conjured up a 13-4 run to come within one point, 16-15. Joseph started the run at the 11:34 mark and then Mitchell canned a three-pointer to end the run with 7:15 left in the half as ETBU was within one, 16-15. HSU extended their lead to six with 4:27 remaining, 23-17, only to see it cut to one, again, 29-28, with 54 seconds left on a Monty Grays three-pointer. Taylor made a three-pointer for HSU to push the lead to four but J.D. Richardson beat the buzzer with a shot as ETBU was within two, 32-30, at the half.

Joseph tied the ball game in the second half with 17:36 left and then in the next three minutes ETBU outscored HSU, 8-7, for a one-point lead, 42-41. Collins converted a three-point play for the lead as Ornelas Gym became very loud. In just about four minutes, HSU scored nine straight points for an eight point lead, 50-42. Again, ETBU battled back and took the lead for the second time in the half on two Collins free throws for the one-point advantage, 59-58. A scoring drought then took place in the next one minute 10 seconds for ETBU as HSU went up by five points, 64-59. At the 2:26 mark, HSU pushed their lead to eight but in two minutes ETBU had an 11-5 run to come within two, 76-74, with 23 seconds left in the game.

HSU went 1-of-2 at the line putting the lead at three as Kerry McClahan came down with the defensive rebound. ETBU had one last chance to tie the game at 77 but Collins’ three-point shot missed as HSU grabbed the rebound. Titus Mims went 1-of-2 to put the lead at four with seven seconds left as he sealed the win, 78-74.

ETBU will host Rust College on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. in a non-conference game at Ornelas Gym.



Cold Shooting in Ornelas Freezes ETBU's Offense

BASKETBALL (W): MARSHALL, Texas (12/06/12) – Playing up against the storied Hardin-Simmons University women’s basketball team, East Texas Baptist University was within two with just over three minutes to play in the game but did not have enough shooting power to knock off the American Southwest Conference West program, 60-52. HSU held ETBU to just three points in the final three minutes after Mary Slaughter cut the lead to two, 51-49 at the 3:12 mark.

The loss drops ETBU to 4-2 and 2-1 in the American Southwest Conference as they only shot 9% from three-point land and 33% overall. Slaughter earned her 23rd career double-double and second of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. April Leonard added 10 points and Amanda Rucker grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds. Adaeze Elonu posted six points and nine rebounds, too. HSU’s Coco Cartwright led her team with 12 points and Alexis Popelar recorded a double-double with 11 points and 16 rebounds.

Holding HSU scoreless in the first two minutes and taking a six-point lead, ETBU was the stronger team at the beginning of the game. Elonu netted the first four points on a layup and two free throws before Slaughter laid in a bucket at the 17:53 mark for the 6-0 lead, the largest ETBU would have for the game. HSU responded with a 7-0 run over the next four minutes to take a one-point lead, 7-6. Once again, the Tigers recharged their offense on a 9-2 in three and half minutes pushing their lead back up to six, 15-9. After HSU took the 7-6 lead, Jaimie Kadlecek swooshed in a three-pointer for the two-point lead starting the run. After a HSU bucket tied the game, Rucker scored all six of her points in the next two minutes to put ETBU ahead, 15-9.

HSU countered with their own 9-2 run for a one-point lead, 18-17, with 6:09 left in the half. With 4:38 left, Slaughter banked in a layup for a two-point lead, 21-19, only to see HSU knock in the next five points for a three-point lead, 24-21. HSU never gave up the lead after that point in the half. ETBU fought back with a 5-2 run to finish the first half and tie the game at 26. Slaughter converted a three-point play with 1:11 left to tie the game at 26 as both teams went cold in the final minute.

Leonard put in a jumper just over a minute into the second half as EBU retook the lead, 28-26, before HSU responded with an 11-2 run in three minutes for a seven-point lead, 37-30, at the 15:48 mark. ETBU slowly chipped away at the lead and tied the game at 42 with 10:08 left on Morgan Eddleman lay up and then she put ETBU in front, 44-42, with her second made basket of the game at with just over eight minutes left in the game. Two ties later, both teams could not find the basket after the 7:55 mark. With the game tied at 45, neither team hit a bucket for two minutes until HSU’s Becca Chagnon canned a three-pointer with 5:25 remaining. Almost a minute and half later, she shot in her second three-pointer putting HSU in front by six, 51-45, with four minutes left. ETBU scored the next four points to come within two, 51-49, but did not get the basket they need to tie the game again as HSU outscore them 9-3 in the last three minutes finishing off the game.

ETBU turned the ball over 20 times and had 11 steals. They also out rebounded HSU, 51-40. HSU finished shooting 36% from the floor and three-point land and shot a dismal 30% from the stripe.

ETBU will host Rust College on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in a non-conference matchup in Ornelas Gym.