February 12, 2016
BASKETBALL (W): CLARKSVILLE, Arkansas (2/11/16) - From the moment when Taylee Alexander scored the first points of the game, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team never looked back as they managed a great game for the 63-50 victory over the University of the Ozarks. With the victory, ETBU ups their record to 14-9 and 7-7 overall in the American Southwest Conference East Division.
For ETBU, Alexander, Morgan Garrett, and April Leonard tallied double figures. Alexander had 16 points and seven rebounds while Garrett finished with 13 points and five rebounds and Leonard tallied 13 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. For Ozarks, Bryanna Moltz (13 points, seven rebounds) and Ashley Hipps (11 points, six rebounds, and four assists) were in double figures.
Collectively as a group, ETBU outshot Ozarks in every category. They hit 37.7% from the field compared with Ozarks who hit 27.8%. ETBU made 26.7% from threes while Ozarks made 17.2%, and 72.2% from free throws while Ozarks made 62.5%. ETBU also won the rebounding battle with a 49-43 edge, stole the ball seven times to Ozarks' six, and had 10 second chance points to the five by Ozarks.
ETBU jumped out to a 5-0 lead with baskets by Alexander and Garrett. After the Eagles pulled to within 5-4, ETBU went on a tremendous 12-3 run to finish the quarter strong. Garrett, Alexander and Leonard would key the run as Ozarks could only answer with a three by Macie Kultgen to cut the lead to 11-7. But four straight points by Leonard would give ETBU a 17-7 lead after the first quarter.
ETBU would continue their run in the second quarter as a layup by Lauren Lee and free throws by Samantha Busby made it 21-7. After a basket by Hipps, a three by Kaitlyn Packett made it 24-9 in ETBU?s favor. Garrett and Delia Hopkins would follow up with baskets to increase ETBU's lead to twenty points. It was 30-9 when Ozarks would finish with a 6-0 run to cut the lead to 30-15 by halftime.
Ozarks would start the third quarter by cutting the lead to 32-21. However, baskets by Alexander and Malaisia Chisholm made ETBU's lead to 36-24 at the 4:39 mark. Ozarks would then make a run cutting the lead to 36-30 before ETBU answered with a 5-0 run on a jumper by Chisholm and a three by Garrett to make it 43-30 at the end of three.
Once again, Ozarks would cut the lead to six at the 8:13 mark. But it seemed like every time Ozarks made it single digits, ETBU would push the lead back to double digits on layups by Ambrosia Woodard and Packett. Ozarks would hit a three by Hailey Ostrander to make it 52-45, but Alexander would make some key free throws that would prove to be the trademark in the quarter. A jumper by Hipps with forty-three seconds would be the last time the ETBU lead was in single digits as they would make their free throws and walk away with the win.
ETBU will travel for the last time this season on Thursday to Richardson, Texas, to play Texas Dallas at 1:00 pm.
ETBU Moves Winning Streak to 11 Games
BASKETBALL (M): CLARKSVILLE, Ark. (2/11/16) - Trailing by a 36-32 margin at halftime, the East Texas Baptist University men?s basketball team outscored host University of the Ozarks (Ark.) by 21 points in the second half en route to seizing a 79-62 victory on Thursday night at Mabee Gym. With two regular-season games remaining, ETBU has now won 11 games in a row and is 19-4 overall and 12-2 against American Southwest Conference competition. The 11 straight wins tops the best mark from last year which and now is the longest winning streak in ETBU program history in the NCAA Division III era.
Jordan Quillian finished with his second double-double performance this season, shooting nine-of-12 from the field. He totaled 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Both of Quillian's double-doubles have come against the Ozarks.
Dylan Augustine finished with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Wilbert Thomas (11 points, six rebounds) and Tyler Day (10 points) both chipped in double figures off of the bench. Junior Mitchell added eight points, four rebounds and six assists.
In the opening half, ETBU went ahead by a 19-10 margin following a Quillian basket at the 13:25 mark. A 12-0 run, however, switched the lead to the Ozarks, 22-19, after Dylan Gray connected from 3-point range with 10:57 remaining in the first half. Bret Atkins then scored a basket, and Thomas added a free throw to bring back to a tie at 22-22 at the 8:57 mark. The Ozarks would close the half ahead by a 36-32 as both teams headed to the locker rooms.
To start the second half, ETBU scored 12-straight points to assume an eight-point edge, 44-36, with 16:37 remaining in regulation. In this 12-0 spurt, Augustine chipped in a half dozen points, and Quillian and Atkins added four and two points, respectively. From that moment forward, ETBU would hold a double-digit lead for much of the remainder of the game, going up by as many as 18 points.
For the night, ETBU shot 45.0 percent from the floor (27-of-60) and 81.0 from the free throw line (17-of-21). Additionally, the team finished with seven more assists than turnovers (20-to-13).
The ASC's leading scorer, Josh Berard, led all players with 22 points. He also added four rebounds and two steals. Also in double figures for the Ozarks were Kelby Robinson (16 points, eight rebounds, two steals) and Jace Richardson (11 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals).
ETBU finishes its five-game road trip on Saturday afternoon against the University of Texas Dallas. The opening jump is set for 3 p.m. in Richardson, Texas.