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LeTourneau University Athletics

LeTourneau University, opens in new tab
LeTourneau University, opens in new tab
Phakhaphum Padmanuja
72
Millsaps MIL 8-3
85
Winner LeTourneau LETU 7-4
Millsaps MIL
8-3
72
Final
85
LeTourneau LETU
7-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Millsaps MIL 36 36 72
LeTourneau LETU 45 40 85

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Contact: Matt Kinney, Sports Information Director, mattkinney@letu.edu

West Goes For 31 As LeTourneau Men Take 85-72 Win Over Millsaps

LONGVIEW, Texas – Back in action for the first time in three weeks, the LeTourneau University men's basketball team had to fend off a physical and pesky Millsaps squad as junior Nate West would score a game-high 31 points in an 85-72 home victory at Solheim Arena on Saturday, December 29th.
 
LETU closes out non-conference action with a record of 4-3 to run their overall record to 7-4 with American Southwest Conference action resuming next week. Millsaps falls to 8-3 overall and drops their third straight game after starting the 2018-19 campaign with an 8-0 record.
 
"That was a very physical basketball game against a really good Millsaps team" said head coach Dan Miller in a post-game interview. "I have a lot of respect for their team and we had to earn that win." "We played with excellent ball security in the first half (two turnovers) but the opposite in the second half (10 turnovers)." "We had some tough shots down the stretch and executed which led to an excellent team victory."
 
How It Happened:
  • Setting the tone early on, the YellowJackets would score the first eight points of the game and hold Millsaps scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of the game before seeing two buckets from Matt Owens put the score at 8-4 with 16:17 left in the first half.
  • Both squads would settle in to their style of gameplay as LeTourneau's lead would hover between three and six points for the next eight minutes of action before a fast-break triple from senior C.J. Bird put LETU up 25-18 with 8:15 left before halftime.
  • Neither team would make any headway for the following five minutes of action which would leave the LETU lead at eight (33-25) for the final media timeout of the first half with 3:58 remaining.
  • Out of the timeout, Millsaps would use a 7-2 run to pull within three at 35-32 just 1:07 later, but an 8-2 run from LETU pushed the lead up to nine at 43-34 as the YellowJackets grabbed a 45-36 halftime lead.
  • Five of the first six made field goals in the second half would come from beyond the arc as both teams would find their range in the opening minutes which allowed the Majors to close within four at 51-47 with 15:56 remaining in the game.
  • With foul trouble starting to become an issue for the YellowJackets, LETU and Millsaps would endure a 2:29 scoring drought that would be ended on a Seth Mattson runner to put LeTourneau up 53-47 before seeing She'Chem Grant nail a three to make things a one possession game.
  • LETU would manage to score four of the next six points to push their lead back to five at 57-52 before seeing Justin Moore connect on back-to-back triples that would give LeTourneau a double-digit lead at 62-53 with just over 10 minutes left in the game.
  • The YellowJackets would maintain their double-digit for the next three-plus minutes of the game before seeing a pair of layups by Millsaps pull the Majors back within seven at 69-62.
  • Despite the quick spurt by the Majors, LETU would manage to hold maintain their lead as West took control in the final 4:25 by outscoring Millsaps 7-6 in the final 4:25 which allowed the YellowJackets to pull away for their third-straight double-digit victory.
 
Key Stats:
  • Nearly half of LETU's 13-point victory would come from a 16-8 advantage in points off turnovers as the YellowJackets would force 19 turnovers from the Majors.
  • Three-point shooting would also prove to be on point for LeTourneau throughout the game as LETU connected on 10-of-25 (40 percent) of their shots beyond the arc.
  • Earning a triple-double and finishing just two points shy of tying a career-high, West led all scorers with 31 points which included a perfect seven-of-seven mark at the charity stripe. Moore nearly set a new career-high of his own, scoring 25 points and grabbing four rebounds while Caleb Loggins added 10 points and four blocks.
 
What's Next?
A season long five-game homestand continues Thursday, January 3rd when the Hardin-Simmons Cowboys come to town for a 7:30 p.m. matchup in ASC action. HSU will enter Thursday's contest with a record of 7-6 overall, but currently sits in second place in the ASC West with a conference mark of 2-2.
 
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