FARMERS BRANCH, Texas – LeTourneau University women's basketball team beat Dallas Christian College, 73-55, to win the MCM Elegante Hotel DCC Christmas Classic Thursday.

LETU (4-1) went 3-0 at the holiday tournament, and will return home to begin American Southwest Conference play Jan. 7 against Hardin-Simmons.

The YellowJackets raced out to a 25-10 first quarter lead on the heels of a 64 percent field goal shooting effort, and coasted from there.

Malacia Guy was named Most Valuable Player, while Keauna Whitfield and Ajanae Thomas earned all-tournament team honors. Whitfield had 20 points on 7 of 13 shooting, Thomas added 12 points, seven rebounds and two steals, and Guy finished with six points, five rebounds, five assists and four steals. Flora Akingbade authored her third double-double of the season with 14 points, 13 boards and a steal. She was 8-for-12 from the free throw line. Scruffy Hopkins had eight points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals, going 4 of 7 from the floor.

The YellowJackets, who shot 40.6 percent, outscored the Crusaders, 16-6, in transition and 25-14 in points off turnovers.

Sabaria Walter had 16 points, and Keiarra Rivers added 14 for DCC, which fell to 1-4.

Thomas scored 1:12 into the second quarter to give LETU a 17-point lead. Dallas Christian went on a 7-0 run to pull within 29-19 on a basket by Walter. But Whitfield scored in transition at the 3:53 mark to push the lead out to 39-20. She later scored on another fastbreak with 31 seconds left in the half to send LeTourneau into the intermission up, 47-26.

The YellowJackets were 18 of 34 from the field in the first half. The Crusaders shot 10 of 34.

Whitfield extended LETU's lead to 29 with 6:46 to go in the third quarter. DCC whittled it down to 24 on two occasions, but Kiara Green-Hill knocked down a jumper on a dish from Shailey Miller with 38 seconds remaining in the period to stretch the margin back to 29.

The Jackets were outscored, 19-9, in the final quarter, but the Crusaders were too far behind in catch-up mode to recover.

LeTourneau did not make a three-pointer after the first quarter, but went 19 of 24 from the free throw line, and outrebounded Dallas Christian, 52-44. LETU was 2 of 12 from long distance. DCC was 5 of 29. The Jackets outscored the Crusaders, 46-34, in the paint. Both teams scored 12 second chance points.

Miller had four points, three assists and three rebounds. Green-Hill added four points and six boards.
 
Tournament MVP: Malacia Guy (LETU)
Keauna Whitfield (LETU)
Ajanae Thomas (LETU)
Taylor Hardin (TAMUT)
Haylee Washington (TAMUT)
Keiarra Rivers (DCC)
Vania Hampton (Sul Ross)
Kaylee Martinez (Sul Ross)