A 7-0 spurt, including five by reserve Chad Herring midway through the second half was just enough to lead visiting East Texas Baptist to a 58-46 win over the LeTourneau University men's basketball team. The spurt overcame a game that saw both teams struggle shooting from the floor. East Texas Baptist shot 29% (18-for-62) and LeTourneau shot 25.4% (16-for-63). Both efforts were season low marks for the two local rivals.
 
LeTourneau (5-11, 3-8 ASC) got a game-high 10 points from freshman Sam Talbert, who hit a pair of 3 pointers in the loss. The top rebounder for LETU was junior Giovanny Thompson for the seventh time on the season with eight rebounds.
 
East Texas Baptist (12-4, 7-4 ASC) picked up a game-high 13 points from Dylan Augustine, who nearly had a double double with nine rebounds. Jamil Samuel grabbed a game-high 13 boards for the Tigers. ETBU controlled the rebounding advantage with a 63-34 margin, which led to a 22-10 advantage in 2^nd-chance points.
 
ETBU reserve guard Anthony Davis made a lay-up with 13:46 to play, tying the game at 28. Then, five-straight points by Herring put the visitors ahead 33-28 with 12:33 to play and for the rest. Later in the half, LETU senior Josh Thornton made three-consecutive free throws after being fouled on a 3-point attempt that cut the deficit to one, 35-34 with 10:13 to go. Then, the Tigers went on a 16-5 run over the next nine minutes to blow the contest wide open to secure the victory.
 
Despite the defeat, LeTourneau outscored ETBU, 25-24 on bench scoring and 10-2 in fast break points.
 
LeTourneau will be on the road for its next three games, starting with a trip to Pineville, Louisiana to face Louisiana College on Saturday, Jan. 24 in the inaugural game at the renovated H.O. West Fieldhouse at 3 p.m.