Box Score:


SHREVEPORT, La. – LeTourneau women's basketball dropped its season opener on the road Friday in a closely-fought game against Centenary, 69-64, at the Gold Dome.

The YellowJackets (0-1) couldn't sustain a fourth quarter lead as the host Ladies (1-0) pulled away in the late stages. Centenary outscored LETU 31-15 in the fourth quarter.

LeTourneau fell down early in the first quarter, 11-3, but shook off some first-game jitters after a jumper by Ajanae Thomas ignited a 13-0 YellowJacket run. The Jackets took a 16-12 lead when Jordan McClenton sank two free throws moving into the second quarter.

Allaira Jones netted a basket off a sweet dish from Malacia Guy, who totaled four assists, to extend the Jacket lead to five at the 7:33 mark. The Ladies' Dymon Drumgo shortened the LETU cushion after a coast-to-coast drive pulled Centenary within three, 21-18. The Jackets would sting the Ladies again after Keauna Whitfield netted a mid-range jumper to spark a 7-0 run for LeTourneau, pushing the YellowJacket lead to 10, 28-18. The Ladies of Centenary clawed its way back when a layup by Jazzmyn Jones cut the Jacket lead back to two. LETU's Jones sank two from the stripe to close out the half, giving LeTourneau a three-point lead at halftime, 30-27.

In the first half, the YellowJackets shot 7-33 from the floor but went 14-17 from the charity stripe. Centenary finished the half 11-34 from the field and went 3-8 from the line.

LETU kept a three-point advantage halfway through the third when Kyndall Hardeman hit the offensive glass hard to go back up for two. Back-to-back buckets by Thomas and Whitfield propelled the Jacket lead to seven with 5:51 left in the quarter. Hardeman struck again for the Jackets, scoring on back-to-back possessions to lift LeTourneau up 10, 44-34. Guy was fouled on a three-point attempt, netting all three free throws to give the YellowJackets its largest lead of the game, 47-34. The Ladies tacked on a pair of free throws in the final seconds of the quarter to pull within 11 heading into the final quarter.

Centenary caught fire in the fourth, going 10-19 from the floor and netting 9-12 free throws. Guy swished a three-point attempt in the early going of the fourth, but an 11-3 run by the Ladies brought them within three, 56-53. Whitfield slashed through the Centenary defense to slow down the Ladies, giving LETU a five-point advantage. Centenary cashed in on two straight possessions, deadlocking the game at 58 with 4:32 left to play. Thomas had a layup to grant the YellowJackets a two-point lead, but a quick jumper by the Ladies' Amelia Bagwell knotted the contest back up at 62 with 2:03 left in regulation. Centenary would go on to get fouled on three consecutive possessions, going 6-6 from the line in the final minutes to take a 68-62 lead. The Jackets could not recover, going 1-4 in its final possessions of the contest.
 
Inside the Numbers:
Whitfield had 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
Jones notched her first career double-double in a Jacket uniform with 12 points and 16 rebounds.
Guy finished with 11 points, six rebounds, four assists, and a steal.
Hardeman chipped in nine points, while Thomas had eight points and 10 rebounds.
The YellowJackets outrebounded the Ladies 51-46.
Centenary held a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint.
The Ladies tallied 22 points of turnovers, while the Jackets had 14.
Centenary notched 12 second chance points. LETU had eight.
 
Up Next:
LeTourneau returns home as it hosts the University of Dallas Tuesday for its home opener at 5:30 p.m. in Solheim Arena.