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LeTourneau University Athletics

LeTourneau University, opens in new tab
LeTourneau University, opens in new tab
C.J. Bird
Rachel Ferguson
73
McMurry MCMMBB 4-11, 1-5 ASC
87
Winner LeTourneau LETU 8-5, 4-2 ASC
McMurry MCMMBB
4-11, 1-5 ASC
73
Final
87
LeTourneau LETU
8-5, 4-2 ASC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
McMurry MCMMBB 36 37 73
LeTourneau LETU 40 47 87

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

Big Run Propels LETU Men To 14 Point Home Victory Over McMurry

LONGVIEW, Texas – Holding a 40-36 halftime advantage, the LeTourneau University men's basketball team would use a 22-4 second half run to overcome a 43-42 deficit and pull away from McMurry University for an 87-73 victory at Solheim Arena on Saturday, January 5th.
 
LeTourneau bounces back from Thursday's defeat to improve to 8-5 overall and 4-2 in the American Southwest Conference while McMurry slipped to 4-11 overall and 1-5 in the ASC.
 
"The guys did a great job of getting out in transition in the second half and sharing the ball" said head coach Dan Miller in a post-game interview. "Any time you have 23 assists to five turnovers you have a great chance to win the game which we did today." McMurry kept fighting and sticking around so I'm proud of the fact that our guys finished the game strong to earn a much-needed victory."
 
How It Happened:
  • A slow start by the YellowJackets would allow McMurry to overcome two early free throws from junior Nate West to score eight straight points to claim an 8-2 lead at the 17:37 mark in the first half.
  • The hot start by the War Hawks continued throughout the next few minutes of the game as Isaac Moreno would put MCM up 15-7 after five minutes of action before taking their largest lead of the game at 16-7 just seconds later.
  • Breaking out of their early slump, LeTourneau would score 12 straight points by getting out in transition and turning McMurry turnovers into points as Andrew Eberhardt would cap off the run to give LETU a 19-16 lead and force an MCM timeout.
  • LeTourneau would maintain their small lead through the halfway point of the first half to take their largest lead of the first half at 27-20 before seeing McMurry tie the game at 27-27 with 7:19 left in the first half.
  • Following a layup by West to allow LETU to regain the lead, the YellowJackets would see McMurry six straight points to take the lead at 33-29 as things would go back and forth once more in the opening period.
  • Holding a 35-34 lead with 2:15 left in the first half, LETU would get a C.J. Bird layup and West triple to go up 40-36 in the final minute before giving up a jumper to Colin Taylor to close out the first half while holding a four-point advantage.
  • Another strong start for McMurry to begin a half saw the War Hawks score seven of the first nine points to reclaim the lead at 43-42 with 17:18 left in the game in what would wind up being their last lead of the game.
  •  Christian Seidl would kick off a 22-4 run as the YellowJackets scored nine consecutive points before giving up a layup to McMurry to hold a 51-45 lead.
  • The run would continue with 11 more points before another McMurry bucket as the lead would grow to a game-high 19 points at 66-47 with 10:43 remaining.
  • Despite the large run from LeTourneau, McMurry would not go quietly as driving layups would lead to the War Hawks applying full court pressure and forcing the YellowJackets to try and chew clock.
  • LETU's lead would drop to 13 at 75-62 with 4:25 remaining but use a West three to go back up 16 and manage to keep MCM from getting any closer than 12 at 85-73 with 97 seconds left.
 
Key Stats:
  • Points off turnovers would prove to be one of the biggest keys for LETU to pull out the victory as 14 McMurry turnovers led to a 21-8 advantage for the YellowJackets in points off turnovers.
  • Three-point shooting would off for LeTourneau throughout the day as LETU would connect on just two triples in each half while shooting a just 19 percent (4-of-21) in the game.
  • Overcoming the three-point woes would all five starters reaching double-figures led by a career-high 22 points and five assists from Bird while Justin Moore scored 10 points and grabbed 11 rebounds for his third double-double of the year.
 
What's Next?
The first rendition of the Highway 80 rivalry between LeTourneau and East Texas Baptist University will take place at Ornelas Arena in Marshall, Texas at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 8th. Both LETU and ETBU will enter Tuesday's game tied for second in the ASC East Division as the Tigers are coming off an 83-76 defeat to Hardin-Simmons University.
 
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