The LeTourneau University women's basketball team picked up its sixth home win of the season with a 62-52 win over East Texas Baptist University on Saturday in Longview.
 
The YellowJackets (14-8, 9-4 ASC East) moved one step closer to the conference tournament with the 10-point victory. The 14 wins for the YellowJackets in 2015-16 have been by an average of 12.5 points and the recipe for success has been balanced scoring and that was the case again in the win. Junior Crystal Jones scored a game-high 25 points to lead LETU, plus senior Ashley Stephens (pictured) and junior LaTanya Drakes added 12 and 10 points, respectively.
 
On the strength of the 10 points from Drakes, the LETU bench outscored ETBU 20-2 and as a team, the YellowJackets forced 21 turnovers which were turned into 20 more points for LETU.
 
The Tigers (13-9, 6-7 ASC East) were led by April Leonard, who had 18 include three 3-pointers for ETBU. She was joined Malasia Chisholm and Taylee Alexander, who added 11 and 10 points, respectively. Chisholm scored nine of her 11 points in the first quarter.

"It took a total team effort today to get this win," said LETU second-year head coach Leslie Reinecker. "We knew ETBU was a solid team and this was going to be a very intense game. Our players stepped up, executed our game plan and fought all the way to the end. I am very proud of how we put this game together from start to finish."
 
A 3-pointer by Jones put LETU ahead 14-13 to end the first quarter and for the rest of the contest. A 10-3 spurt midway through the quarter by the YellowJackets that included a 3-pointer by freshman Jalia Leaven put LeTourneau ahead by 12, 31-19 with 1:38 to go in the opening half. The Tigers managed to cut the deficit to single digits, scoring the final four points of the half.
 
LeTourneau came out of the halftime locker room and scored the first five points including a 3 pointer by Stephens – just her third of the season. Twice, in the third quarter, ETBU cut the LeTourneau to deficit to three. A jumper by Drakes and Jones each time ended the threats for the visitors. ETBU started the final quarter, scoring five of the first seven points to cut the LETU lead to two, 48-46 with 8:20 to play.
 
Again, LETU had an answer. This time, the YellowJackets ended the comeback hopes with 14 of the final 20 points in the game. In the spurt, Jones accounted for seven of the 14 to lead the host YellowJackets.
The win seals a spot in the upcoming ASC Tournament, Feb. 25-27 in Tyler for the YellowJackets with three games left to play in the regular season. The two teams both wore pink in support of the Kay Yow Fund and breast cancer research.
 
The next game for LeTourneau is on Saturday, Feb. 13 at Belhaven at 1 p.m. in Jackson, Mississippi.