Box Score Three members of the LeTourneau University women's basketball team had a career-high to lead the YellowJackets to a 74-71 win over East Texas Baptist on Tuesday night in the American Southwest Conference opener for both teams.
 
The YellowJackets (3-1, 1-0 ASC) were led by the double double performances of senior Julencia Curtis – 18 points and 13 rebounds and senior Alexis Wighaman (pictured) – 14 points and 13 rebounds. Both performances were career-best numbers for the LeTourneau duo. The tandem was joined in double figures by the third career-best performance on the night for LeTourneau from senior Ashley Fajardo, who had 17 points on the strength of five 3 pointers. YellowJackets' freshman Ashley Reed added six big points and junior Rebecca Stewart came off the bench to score nine points including two clutch 3 pointers.
 
"Curtis, Wighaman and Fajardo picked a great night to have career best. The depth of this roster is vital to our success. We have a number of young ladies who can really provide energy and scoring on any given night," said LeTourneau University head women's basketball coach Corey Thomaston.
 
The Tigers (0-1, 0-1 ASC) were able to land four in double digits in the defeat. Kelly Johnstone and Kendall Festervand each hit three 3 pointers en route to 13 points to share in team-high honors. April Leonard and Amanda Rucker added 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
The game was tied twice in the final 2:54 but a 3 pointer by LeTourneau freshman Ashley Reed with 18 seconds left proved to be the difference. The contest was close throughout the night as it was tied on seven occasions and the lead exchanged hands 20 times. Thomaston and the YellowJackets are 3-1 for the first time since the 1996-97 campaign.
 
As explained by Thomaston, the YellowJackets got contributions from the entire roster in the win. "I'm very proud of the relentless effort by our young ladies tonight. Some nights it comes down not to hitting shots, but pure desire, and that was the difference for us tonight," said the seventh-year head coach for LETU.

With LeTourneau holding a four-point halftime advantage, 36-32, East Texas Baptist scored the first 13 points of the second half to build a 45-36 lead with 16:11 to play. The resilience of the YellowJackets fed off the energetic pre-holiday crowd. "It was a great college basketball game and I'm very thankful for the crowd from both sides willing to support these two fine programs," said Thomaston.
 
LeTourneau managed to regain the lead when Stewart hit her first collegiate 3 with 9:11 to go that put the host YellowJackets ahead 53-52. ETBU answered with a layup to take a 54-53 lead but it would be the final advantage of the night for the visitors.
 
LeTourneau answered, again, with a layup by Curtis and a 3 pointer by Reed gave the YellowJackets a lead of 58-54 with 7:27 to play. Eventually, LETU would build the lead to seven but that was not safe as the Tigers eventually clawed back to tie the game at 69 on a 3 pointer by Festervand with 2:54 to go. ETBU took a 71-69 lead when Festervand made a back-door layup with 1:20 to go.
 
However, the YellowJackets called on Curtis again, who made a layup to tie it at 71 with 1:04. In an attempt to go ahead the Tigers missed a 3 pointer with 44 seconds to go and Wighaman came down with her 13^th board of the night to set the stage for the game-winning 3 pointer by Reed with 18 seconds. A three point attempt by ETBU with three seconds to go came up short to clinch the win for the host YellowJackets.
 
The YellowJackets will now be idle until Thursday, Dec. 5 when they host Mississippi College at 5:30 p.m.