JACKSON, Miss. -- LeTourneau University women's basketball team's bid to knock off host Millsaps fell short Sunday afternoon in a 67-61 loss at the Millsaps Classic.
LETU entered the fourth quarter with a four-point lead, but the Majors outscored the YellowJackets, 29-19, over the final 10:00 to prevail. The loss dropped LeTourneau's record to 1-3, while Millsaps improved to 4-2.
Keauna Whitfield scored 15 points, and had four rebounds and three steals to lead the Jackets.
Ty Moon had 14 points on 4 of 8 shooting.
Vanessa Cruz finished with nine points, four assists and three steals in a game marked by 21 lead changes and 10 ties.
LeTourneau took a 31-28 lead 2:49 into the third period when
Flora Akingbade sank a pair from the free throw line. Moon buried a three-pointer to give the YellowJackets a four-point lead before Millsaps' Dia Fortenberry converted a three-point play to cut it to 34-33. Fortenberry hit another field goal less than a minute later to put the Majors on top by one, but Moon tripled again at the 4:35 mark as LETU reclaimed control.
Kyndall Hardeman's layup 49 seconds later put LeTourneau ahead, 39-35, and Moon sank a free throw to give the Jackets their largest lead at five with 3:00 remaining in the quarter. Millsaps cut the deficit to two on Andrea Rayford's free throw, but Cruz came up with a steal and layup to send LETU into the final quarter ahead, 42-38.
The YellowJackets outscored the Majors, 12-1, in points off turnovers in the third period. LeTourneau's bench outscored Millsaps, 9-0, in the quarter.
The Majors scored the first six points in the fourth to grab a two-point lead. Cruz knocked down the next two buckets as LETU climbed back on top, 46-44. After Fortenberry scored in transition to tie things up, Moon scored in the paint to put the Jackets back in front with 5:09 left on the clock. Megan Donaldson hit a three, and Fortenberry converted a layup to push Millsaps up three. Moon sank two free throws with 3:06 to go as LeTourneau cut it down to one, but the Majors used an 8-0 run to stretch their lead out to 59-50. With the YellowJackets forced into catchup mode,
Malacia Guy drilled two triples -- the second with 14 seconds remaining -- as LETU got within 65-61. But Anna Wilson sank two free throws, and the Majors tucked it away.
LeTourneau matched a season high with nine 3-pointers, while holding Millsaps to three. LETU's bench outproduced Millsaps, 30-17. The YellowJackets were outscored, 32-14, in the paint. The Majors outrebounded the Jackets, 45-35.
LETU will play an exhibition game at Lamar Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.
