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LeTourneau University Athletics

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Vanessa Cruz nine points, four steals at UTD
Natalie Connelly
Vanessa Cruz had nine points, six rebounds, five assists, two blocks and four steals.
63
LeTourneau LETU 10-10,6-5 ASC
67
Winner Texas-Dallas UTD 16-4,10-1 ASC
LeTourneau LETU
10-10,6-5 ASC
63
Final
67
Texas-Dallas UTD
16-4,10-1 ASC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
LeTourneau LETU 12 20 13 18 63
Texas-Dallas UTD 20 16 15 16 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball |

LETU Falls to No. 25 UT Dallas, 67-63

RICHARDSON, Texas – LeTourneau University women's basketball team fell just short of knocking off 25th-ranked Texas at Dallas Thursday. LETU lost, 67-63.

The YellowJackets (10-10, 6-5 American Southwest Conference) outscored UT Dallas (16-4, 10-1) in two quarters, and battled through six lead changes and four ties. But they couldn't get over the hump in crunch time, despite cutting a double-digit fourth quarter deficit down to a one-possession game late.

Keauna Whitfield finished with 17 points, five rebounds, a block and a steal. Micayla Mikulski had 10 points, four rebounds, three blocks and a steal. Vanessa Cruz added nine points, five assists, four steals, six rebounds and two blocks.

LeTourneau, which shot 23 of 58 from the field, broke a 10-10 tie when Cruz hit a field goal at the 2:44 mark in the first quarter. UT Dallas closed the quarter on a 10-0 run to take a 20-12 lead into the second period.

The Jackets pulled within five on a pair of Jordan McClenton free throws before the Comets bumped their lead back to six when Raenet Hughes sank a pair from the stripe. LETU's Scruffy Hopkins hit a three-pointer with 6:05 to play in the half to bring the YellowJackets within 27-24. Ty Moon's transition basket at the 4:54 mark, set up by a steal by Cruz, cut the gap to two. The Comets built the lead back to six, but Mikulski sank two free throws to send the YellowJackets into the break down, 36-32.

LETU was 10 of 12 from the free throw line in the first half. UTD was also 10 of 12, all of its attempts coming in the second quarter.

The YellowJackets tied the game early in the second half when Whitfield scored in the paint. Hughes transition basket at the 5:07 mark of the third quarter gave the Comets a 45-39 lead. Moon scored on the next possession, but the Jackets were held scoreless for the next 4:25 as UT Dallas widened its lead to 10. Whitfield ended the drought with a bucket with 15 seconds remaining in the period, and Cruz beat the buzzer to pull LeTourneau within 51-45 entering the final quarter.

Kelley Skinner gave the Comets a 10-point lead with 5:57 to play. Whitfield scored in transition to cut the deficit in half. Flora Akingbade converted a three-point play with 3:12 left on the clock to pull LETU within four. After Jordan Maxwell scored to put UTD up seven, Akingbade and Mikulski each scored in the paint to cut it to 64-63 with 51 seconds to play. But the YellowJackets couldn't get any closer.

Akingbade had seven points, nine rebounds, a block and a steal. Hopkins added seven points, and Moon six. Hughes finished with 35 points on 14 of 23 shooting, and Victoria Pena had 12 points for the Comets.

The Jackets went 3 of 7 from the free throw line in the second half. The Comets were 7 of 15. LETU held UT Dallas to 0 of 14 from the 3-point line. LeTourneau was 4 of 20. Neither team made a triple in the second half.

UT Dallas outrebounded LETU, 52-35. The Comets outscored the Jackets, 50-30, in the paint.

LeTourneau will play at Ozarks 1 p.m. Saturday.


 
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