ABILENE, Texas – LeTourneau University's women's basketball team opened American Southwest Conference play with a 67-54 win at McMurry Thursday.

The win bumped the YellowJackets to 5-5 overall, 1-0 in the league. It was LeTourneau's third win in the past four games. McMurry fell to 7-3, 0-2. The Jackets have beaten McMurry in four of the last five matchups between the two schools.

LETU outscored McMurry, 20-7, in the fourth quarter to put it away.

Scruffy Hopkins had 16 points, 12 rebounds and three steals, and Keauna Whitfield had 16 points and 12 rebounds for the YellowJackets, who battled through eight ties and nine lead changes. Micayla Mikulski had 12 points and eight rebounds, and Flora Akingbade added seven points and eight boards.

It was the second straight game Whitfield recorded a double-double, and the first time Hopkins did so. It was also the first time this year two YellowJackets notched a double-double in the same game.

Trailing 49-47 early in the fourth quarter, the YellowJackets used a 13-0 run to put the War Hawks on their heels. Whitfield knocked down a jumper in the paint to tie it and then sank a free throw to put LETU in front. Malacia Guy and Akingbade each scored to extend the lead to five. Whitfield sank two free throws to make it 56-49 with 5:38 remaining. Hopkins had a steal, and then hit a field goal inside the 5:00 mark to give the Jackets a nine-point lead, and Guy scored in the paint to push it to 60-49.

Akingbade's layup stretched the lead to 14 with 1:54 remaining, and McMurry couldn't recover.

The YellowJackets outscored the War Hawks, 12-0, in transition. LETU forced 21 turnovers, 12 coming on steals. Jordan McClenton and Vanessa Cruz had four steals apiece.

LETU outrebounded McMurry, 49-38.  

The Jackets held the War Hawks to 7 of 31 shooting in the second half, which included a 1-for-10 performance from the three-point line. LeTourneau made 13 field goals in both halves.

The YellowJackets will play at Hardin-Simmons 1 p.m. Saturday.