LeTourneau University Athletics

A jumper by Ryan Leiss with two seconds left in overtime led host Hardin-Simmons to a 98-96 win over the LeTourneau University men's basketball team on Saturday in Abilene.

LeTourneau (3-6, 1-2 ASC) had all five starters in double figures – C.J. Edwards (pictured) (24 points), Alec Colhoff (22 points), Jeff Martin (15 points), Caleb Loggins (15 points) and Christian Seidl (10 points). Seidl recorded the first double double of his young career with 10 rebounds to lead LETU in the loss. LeTourneau hit 15 3-pointers in the game, matching the most since a similar effort against UT Dallas on Feb. 6, 2003. Edwards accounted for six 3-pointers and Colhoff added four.
 
Hardin-Simmons (5-4, 2-1 ASC) also had five in double figures, including Christian O'Neal (19 points), Duane Hopper (15 points), Nathaniel Jack (14 points), Justin Jones (14 points) and Leiss (15 points). Jack and Jones each had double double performances, grabbing 12 and 11 rebounds, respectively.
 
"It's a tough loss to swallow for our team," said LETU head coach Dan Miller. "We battled for 45 minutes and lost at the buzzer to the favorites in the ASC West Division. I am really proud of our guys as they get better each day and they are coachable as well as play for one another."
 
In the six losses for LETU, they have been by an average of nearly seven points. Four of the six losses have been three points or less. Neither statistic has the second-year coach discouraged. "Now we just have to win these close games. That's the next step, but I love this team and the way that they compete," said Miller.
 
LeTourneau took its fifth lead of the game when Seidl hit a 3 pointer with 28 seconds left in regulation, putting the YellowJackets ahead 82-80. The Cowboys sent the game to overtime with an O'Neal jumper with two seconds to go. Then, in the overtime, LeTourneau scored the first seven points for an early 89-82 lead with 3:32 to go.
 
Trailing by seven, HSU went on a 12-2 run to build a 94-91 lead with 56 seconds to go. The YellowJackets continued to battle and rallied to tie the game at 96 when Colhoff hit his fourth 3-pointer of the game with 20 seconds to play. Again, the Cowboys had an answer, but this time it was a game-winning basket by Leiss that proved to be the difference.
 
Next, LeTourneau will face its second NCAA Division I foe of the season – Sam Houston State - on Monday, Dec. 14 at 6:30 p.m. in Huntsville in an exhibition game. It will be the second-straight ASC foe for the Bearkats, who played Sul Ross State, last Sunday. Sam Houston State is picked to finish fourth in the Southland Conference and finished as the league's runner-up for the last two seasons.