January 31, 2016
BASKETBALL (M): MARSHALL, Texas (1/30/16) - Boosted by Bret Atkins' 33-point performance, the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team withstood a hard-charging second-half effort by the University of Texas-Tyler to win, 69-64, on Saturday afternoon inside of Ornelas Gym. Atkins hit eight three-pointers and making seven straight in the first half.
ETBU ups its overall record to 15-4 and 8-2 in American Southwest Conference games and is currently on a season-best seven-game winning streak. Additionally, the team improves to 9-1 on its home court this season.
Atkins stood out right out of the gate, scoring 30 points in the first half, just a single point fewer than Texas-Tyler had as an entire team in those opening 20 minutes. He converted eight-of-eight shots from 3-point range in just over 14 minutes of play to start the day before missing a 3-point attempt in the final minute of the first half. At the halftime buzzer, he had also hit all six of his first-half free throw attempts.
As a team in the first half, ETBU shot 59.1 percent from the floor (13-of-22), 78.6 percent from 3-point distance (11-of-14) and converted nine free throws to hold a 46-31 edge at the break. That 15-point advantage would prove crucial in the second half.
To open the second half, ETBU missed seven-straight shots from the field and turned the ball over three times in a four-plus-minute span. Conversely, Texas-Tyler scored six-consecutive points to bring the game to back within single digits after a Deon Rodgers basket at the 16:03 mark made it a 46-37 score.
ETBU would, however, use a 7-1 spurt to reassume a 15-point advantage with 12:20 remaining. In this stretch, Dylan Augustine hit a 3-point shot, while Wilbert Thomas and Anthony Davis each added a basket to account for the 53-38 lead. Following a Dalton Burleson basket at the 7:36 mark, ETBU remained ahead by 15 points, 61-46.
Texas-Tyler remained very much in the game though, scoring 13-of-15 points to draw within four points, 63-59, with 3:06 left in regulation. During this 13-2 run, Texas-Tyler hit four-of-six shots from the field and hit three free throws with five different players contributing points. In this same stretch, ETBU converted one-of-six shots from the floor, the lone basket coming from Junior Mitchell.
With the score still 63-59 in ETBU's favor and less than 30 seconds to play, ETBU hit six-of-eight free throw attempts to ward off the Texas-Tyler rally and emerge victorious. In the second half, ETBU shot 25.8 percent from the field (eight-of-31) and hit one-of-10 shots from 3-point range (10.0 percent). Meanwhile, Texas-Tyler converted 11-of-23 shots from the floor (47.8 percent). In all, Texas-Tyler edged ETBU in rebounding, 36-to-30.
Also finishing in double figures for ETBU were Augustine (14 points, three assists, three steals, two blocked shots) and Thomas (11 points, five rebounds, three steals).
ETBU returns to action on Monday night, playing at conference opponent Louisiana College, 7:30 p.m., in Pineville, Louisiana.
#TIGERSWIN: ETBU Knocks Off Two Regionally Ranked Teams
TENNIS (W): MARSHALL, Texas (1/30/16) - Competing against two regional opponents, the East Texas Baptist University women's tennis team came out on top both times on Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex. ETBU topped Hardin-Simmons (Texas) University, 8-1, and later bested McMurry (Texas) University, 8-1, to close out the day.
Hardin-Simmons entered the day ranked No. 15 in the West Region per the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's rankings for NCAA Division III, while McMurry ranks No. 12.
Against Hardin-Simmons, ETBU swept through the three doubles flights. Kayla Casey and Kate Bramlett claimed the top-seeded doubles match over Hannah Smith and Jenna Smith, 8-1. In the No. 2 doubles match, Elizabeth Morton and Tiffany Stankiewicz prevailed against Jasmine Briant and Shayne Cook, 9-7. At the No. 3 flight, Jabree McClaine and Sierra Pizarro edged Michaela Ellison and Laura Weinheimer by an 8-6 score.
Moving along into the singles matches, Casey bested Ellison in No. 1 singles, 6-0, 6-1, while Stankiewicz won her No. 3 singles match against Hannah Smith, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. McClaine was victorious at No. 4 singles over Jenna Smith, 6-3, 4-6, 7-5, and Pizarro topped Sabra Zullo in the No. 5 flight, 6-0, 6-3. At the No. 6 match, Kellie Cawthon defeated Kacie Berutti by a 6-4, 6-0 margin.
To cap a 2-0 day, ETBU later edged McMurry by an 8-1 score.
In No. 1 doubles, Bramlett and Casey swept Madison Hathorn and Chloe Patterson, 8-0. Morton and Stankiewicz paired up and topped Bree Brosig and Samantha Ritz, 8-1, at the No. 2 flight, and McClaine and Pizarro swept their competition in the third-seeded match, 8-0.
Further along in singles competition, Casey defeated Patterson in the top-seeded flight, 6-0, 6-0, while Stankiewicz was a 6-4, 6-4 winner over Brosig in the No. 2 match. At the No. 3 slot, McClaine bested Ritz, 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, and Pizarro won her No. 4-seeded match against Symphony Munoz by a 6-1, 6-3 score. In the No. 5 match, Cawthon was a 6-3, 6-0 winner over Hathorn.
ETBU competes next on Feb. 5 against Centenary (La.) College, 2 p.m., once again on its home courts.
ETBU Pushes #5 UTT to Limits
BASKETBALL (W): MARSHALL, Texas (1/30/16) - For three quarters, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team hung tough with the #5 University of Texas-Tyler Patriots but were unable to keep pace dropping a close game, 72-61. The loss makes ETBU 12-6 on the year and 6-4 in the ASC East.
For ETBU, April Leonard led the team with 23 points on nine-of-15 shooting. Lauren Lee had 11 points and four rebounds. Morgan Garrett helped ETBU with nine points and four assists. Texas-Tyler was led by Makenzi May with 28 points while Michelle Obach contributed with 14 points.
ETBU won two-thirds of the shooting battle by hitting 44% from the field while UTT had 37% and 35% from the three point line while holding UTT to 19%. Of ETBU?s 61 points, 30 of them came in the paint while UTT had 28. UTT shot 70% from the free throw line while ETBU had 56%. They also outrebounded ETBU 39-35, stole the ball nine times to ETBU?s six, and made more assists with a 16-13 edge.
In the first quarter, ETBU got off to a fast start with Garrett hitting a layup from the tip off. Leonard would follow that with an And-1 to put ETBU up 5-0. Texas-Tyler would respond with a 8-5 run before Davis tied the game with a 3-pointer. The Tigers would take a 12-10 lead with baskets by Delia Hopkins and Malaisia Chisholm before the Patriots tied it at 12 to end the quarter.
UTT jumped out in the second with four points to make it 16-12. A Leonard three and a Chisholm layup got the ETBU lead back to 17-16. The rest of the quarter would be a back and forth affair with another Leonard three being followed by a pair of UTT free throws. UTT would mount a 7-2 run before ETBU clawed their way back with a pair of buckets by Lee to tie it at 28 at the break.
UTT jumped on ETBU on an 18-6 run to start the third making it 44-34 in their favor at the 4:34 mark. Three's by Chisholm and Garrett made it 44-40 before UTT added five straight to make it a nine point cushion. However, ETBU would end the quarter with five points from a three by Lee and a two by Garrett to make UTT's lead at 49-45.
Ultimately, the fourth quarter was in UTT?s favor as they outscored ETBU 23-16 for the final score. Both teams traded baskets to start the quarter before the Patriots marched their way to a 12 point lead at 63-51 with 3:46 to play. That would prove to be the difference. But Leonard would not let the Tigers go down easily as she would hit two straight layups to cut UTT?s lead to 63-57. That would be the closest ETBU would get as UTT made free throws and hung on for the win.
ETBU will travel to Pineville, Louisiana to play Louisiana College on Monday. Tip off starts at 5:30.
ETBU Falls in Home Debut
TENNIS (M): MARSHALL, Texas (1/30/16) - Playing its first two matches of the spring, the East Texas Baptist University men's tennis team dropped both on Saturday at the Veterans Memorial Tennis Complex. ETBU fell to Hardin-Simmons (Texas) University, 6-3, and later dropped to McMurry (Texas) University, 9-0.
To begin the day, ETBU matched up with Hardin-Simmons and went ahead by a 2-1 margin following the three doubles matches.
At No. 2 doubles, Cody Highsmith and Connor Mason paired up to defeat Chandler Livingston and Kennan Nash, 8-3. Dillon Deatherage and Rollin Houk picked up a 9-7 victory over B.J. Farmakis and Frankie Sanchez in the No. 3 doubles match. Hardin-Simmons claimed a point in the top-seeded doubles match with Andrew Eurek and Alex Hunt teaming to best Ryan Pearce and Tyler Tolopka, 8-5.
The singles matches proved to be difference, however, with Hardin-Simmons winning five-of-six flights. ETBU?s lone point in the singles matches came at No. 1 with Tolopka besting Griffin Weinkam, 6-1, 6-2. Three singles matches needed a third and final set to determine a winner, with Hardin-Simmons winning each time at No. 3, 4 and 5.
Later in the afternoon, ETBU squared off with McMurry, currently ranked No. 14 for the West Region of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's NCAA Division III rankings, and lost by a 9-0 margin.
ETBU plays next on Feb. 5, hosting Centenary (La.) College at 2 p.m.