November 24, 2015
BASKETBALL (W): FORT WORTH, Texas (11/23/15) - A strong defensive effort in the fourth quarter by the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team led to a 63-56 win over Texas Wesleyan University. ETBU has now won four straight games matching the best start in the last 10 years at 4-0.
Three players scored in double figures for ETBU as April Leonard led the way with 23 points. Taylee Alexander added 11 points and Malaisia Chisholm had 10 points and eight rebounds. Alexander also added three blocks and seven rebounds. Katelynn Threats led all scorers for Texas Wesleyan with 26 points.
With 7:23 left in the game, ETBU held onto a one-point lead, 48-47. In the next four minutes they went on a 9-3 run only allowing one made bucket by Texas Wesleyan. In the run, Leonard had six of the nine points with a three-point play and making a three-pointer. Alexander started the run with a layup at the 7:04 mark to make it 50-47. A minute later, Leonard scored the first of six points with a three-point conversion. Leonard then canned a three-pointer at the 4:49 mark to extend the lead to nine, 56-47. Texas Wesleyan made one free throw and then at the 3:34 mark finally tipped in a bucket to end their scoring drought, 56-50. Chisholm ended the run making one free throw for a 57-50 lead. Texas Wesleyan did pull within three, 57-54, with 1:26 left but Leonard came through driving the court for a layup putting the lead back to five. Leonard then made 3-of-6 shots in the final 40 seconds of the game for the victory.
ETBU opened up the game on a 7-0 run and had a 10-2 lead on a Leonard three-pointer at the 6:36 mark. In the last five minutes of the first quarter, ETBU cooled down as Texas Wesleyan outscored the Tigers, 6-4, ending at 14-8 in favor of ETBU. Chisholm, Cekret Davis, and Leonard all were a part of the opening run for ETBU.
The momentum shifted in the second quarter as Texas Wesleyan heated up. They out scored ETBU 16-9 to take the halftime lead, 24-23. It took ETBU almost five minutes to score in the second quarter as Texas Wesleyan took the lead 19-16. In that five minutes, Texas Wesleyan went on a 13-2 run for a 21-16 lead at the 4:46 mark. ETBU answered with a 7-0 run to take the lead, 23-21, with 1:16 left. In the run Chisholm and Kaitlyn Packett each had a three pointer. Texas Wesleyan scored the final three points of the quarter for a one-point lead at the half, 24-23.
It was a battle in the third quarter but ETBU held the lead out scoring Texas Wesleyan, 18-16. Chisholm put ETBU back in the lead, 25-23, just over a minute into the game. Both teams exchanged leads and ETBU took the lead back at the 7:25 mark on an Alexander layup, 29-28. ETBU then held the lead for the majority of the quarter until Texas Wesleyan banked in a shot with 1:13 left in the quarter, 40-38. Morgan Garrett nailed a three-pointer with 41 seconds left as ETBU jumped back in front, 41-40, and that was the final score of the third quarter.
ETBU led the rest of the way in the fourth quarter to take the win with as large as a nine-point lead in the quarter. ETBU outscored Texas Wesleyan, 22-16, in the quarter to move to 4-0.
ETBU shot 39 percent overall and made 40 percent from the arc and 56 percent from the line. Texas Wesleyan made 36 percent from the floor, 11 percent from three-point range - making just one three-pointer all night, and 33 percent from the free throw line. Texas Wesleyan out rebounded ETBU, 47-45, but ETBU forced 16 turnovers.
ETBU will be back in action on Friday, November 27th at 12:00 p.m. vs. Schreiner University at the Texas Lutheran University Thanksgiving Classic.