Tiger Basketball vs. UT-Tyler

BASKETBALL (M): MARSHALL, Texas (1/15/13) – It was twice the fun in Ornelas Gymnasium for East Texas Baptist University earning an upset win, 84-82, in double overtime against the University of Texas-Tyler (11-5/6-4) as two players recorded double-doubles and five players finished with double figures. Texas-Tyler was just a half-game out of first place heading into tonight’s game and needed a win to propel them into a first-place tie with Texas-Dallas but now are a game back at 6-4 in the ASC East. This is the second time in two weeks that ETBU has upset one of the top teams in the ASC in Ornelas Gym.

ETBU keeps their hopes alive for the ASC Tournament as they improve to 7-9 overall and 3-7 in the ASC East. The win breaks a three-game losing streak and makes the race in the ASC East even tighter.

Jaron Joseph and Junior Mitchell recorded double-doubles for the first time this year. Joseph led the team with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Mitchell earned his first-ever double-double with 12 points and 10 assists. Kerry McClahan added 16 points and nine rebounds as Erby Thompson netted 11 points and Justin Felicia 10 points. Clavoisiea Dupree finished with nine points, 12 rebounds, and four blocks. Texas-Tyler’s Travis Dykman had 19 points for his team.

Holding Texas-Tyler to just one bucket in the final 2:18 of play in the second overtime, ETBU dug deep enough to pull out the win in that time. Texas-Tyler’s Tyler Hysell laid in a shot at the 2:18 mark for a one-point lead, 80-79, but 13 seconds later Dupree went to the line and sank both free throws to retake the lead, 81-80. Answering in 14 seconds, Texas-Tyler’s Dykman swooshed in a jumper and a one-point advantage, 82-81, with 1:51 remaining. That would be the last bucket made as Texas-Tyler would miss two shots in that time.

At the 1:30 mark, Dupree grabbed an offensive rebound off a Mitchell miss and banked it in giving ETBU the lead for good, 83-82. Texas-Tyler followed with a missed layup as McClahan brought in the defensive rebound. With 30 seconds left, Joseph missed a shot as Dykman found the defensive rebound but gave it back to ETBU 10 seconds later fouling Mitchell. Mitchell stepped to the line, with a one-point lead, and missed both free throws as 19 seconds remained and Darren Houliston grabbed the rebound.

After a Texas-Tyler timeout, Joe Stephens stepped up for a three-pointer and missed as Dupree pulled down the defensive rebound getting it out to Mitchell. Mitchell was immediately fouled with one second left and made one-of-two from the stripe sealing the win.

Texas-Tyler led for most of the first half taking an 11-point lead at the 13:39 mark. Over the next 12 minutes ETBU would slowly break down that lead outscoring Texas-Tyler, 32-13, taking an eight point lead, 37-29. ETBU did not get their first lead until the 4:07 mark with Joseph shot, 31-29. ETBU’s defense only allowed four Texas-Tyler points in the final 5:50 of the half. Dupree put ETBU by eight, 37-29, with a jumper at the 1:54 mark. Felicia banked in a shot with one second left in the half as ETBU took an eight point lead, 39-31, to the locker room.

ETBU took their largest lead of 12, 45-33, with 17:52 to go in the game on a McClahan lay up. Texas-Tyler did to ETBU what ETBU did in the first half crawling back into the game. With 5:09 left, Texas-Tyler took the lead, 61-60, as they outscored ETBU, 28-15, in 12 minutes of play.

ETBU fought back and took a three-point lead as neither team hit a shot for almost two minutes. Dupree gave ETBU the lead back, 62-61, with 3:21 left and with 1:14 to play Mitchell put ETBU up by three, 64-61. The lead stayed at three, 66-63, with 25 seconds left as Texas-Tyler had one possession remaining and Joe Stephens made the most of it. With two seconds left, he was fouled shooting a three-pointer as he made all three free throws sending the game to overtime.

Scoring the first five points in overtime, it looked as though ETBU would run away with the game, 71-66, as just over three minutes were left. By the 2:24 mark, ETBU still clang to the five-point lead, 73-68, and with just under a minute to play Joseph put them up by seven, 75-68. Texas-Tyler went to work in the final minute tying the game to send it to the second overtime.

Houliston hit two free throws with 49 seconds left to bring the lead down to five and then was on the receiving end of a pass off of a Dykman steal hitting a three-pointer with 46 seconds remaining cutting the lead to two, 75-73. With 37 seconds left, ETBU called a timeout when they did not have one which led to a technical foul and two free throws. Stephens hit them both to tie the game at 75. ETBU’s defense saved them in the last second as they did not give Houliston a good look missing his layup to put the game into the second overtime.

ETBU shot 43 percent overall but made only 23 percent of their three-pointers and 67 percent of their free shots. They held Texas-Tyler to 33 percent shooting from both the floor and beyond the arc but they made 75 percent of their free throws. Both teams had 49 rebounds and ETBU had 20 turnovers to Texas-Tyler’s 16.

ETBU will host LeTourneau University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 17th, in Ornelas Gym in an ASC East game.

Slow Start, Turnovers Cost ETBU at Home

BASKETBALL (W)): MARSHALL, Texas (1/15/13) – A slow start in the first half combined with 26 turnovers did not turn out to well for East Texas Baptist University in their first of six straight home games as they fell to the University of Texas-Tyler (10-6/5-5) in American Southwest Conference East play. ETBU did not hit their first bucket of the game until almost four minutes into the game and had 15 first half turnovers.

Texas-Tyler’s win gives them a tie for fourth place in the ASC East now with ETBU as the Tigers are also 10-6 and 5-5 in the East. ETBU and Texas-Tyler are a game and a half back of Mississippi College who is 6-3 in the East and 9-6 overall.

April Leonard finished with 19 points, her second best scoring game of the year, shooting 60 percent from the floor and making 5-of-7 free throws. Mary Slaughter finished with 11 points and four steals while Brandace Latin produced 10 points and three assists. Brittany King put in 19 points for Texas-Tyler while She’Cara Humphrey added 17.

Cutting the lead to two, 46-44, with 12:17 left and momentum on their side it looked as though ETBU would break through the Texas-Tyler defensive pressure. ETBU was down by as many as 14 in the first half and six at the break, 35-29. Still down six, 41-35, with 15:52 left in the game, ETBU went on a 9-5 run to pull within two, 46-44. Slaughter started the run converting a three-point play but Texas-Tyler scored the next three points on a bucket and one free throw putting the lead back to six. An Amanda Rucker free throw followed by a Latin jumper with 12:54 left, ETBU was now within three, 44-41. Texas-Tyler’s Humphrey nailed a jumper for a five-point lead but Patrice Parker banked in a shot and one on a foul for a three-point conversion as ETBU was back to within two, 46-44. That was the last bucket by ETBU for the next three minutes as Texas-Tyler went on an 8-0 run for a 10-point lead, 54-44.

Leonard made back-to-back three-pointers to keep ETBU within seven, twice, as that is as close as the Tigers would come to Texas-Tyler in the last nine minutes. Texas-Tyler had the lead to 13 points, twice, in the final six and half minutes and made it a 14-point game with 4:41 left, 68-54. ETBU did cut their lead in half to seven, 68-61, on a 7-0 run in the final four and half minutes but it was too late as Texas-Tyler had done enough to steal the win from the Tigers.

Shooting 43 percent, ETBU made 41 percent of their three-pointers and 70 percent of their free throws. Texas-Tyler only made 37 percent from the floor, 22 percent from the arc, and 70 percent from the line. Texas-Tyler did have 16 more rebounds than ETBU, 45-29, and forced 26 turnovers for 24 points.

ETBU will host LeTourneau on Thursday, January 17th, at 5:30 p.m. in Ornelas Gym in another ASC East game.