Box Score:


LONGVIEW, Texas – Resilient!

That's what the LeTourneau women's basketball squad were Thursday evening as it rallied to take down Sul Ross State, 70-64, to open American Southwest Conference play.

The win boosted the YellowJackets to 4-1 overall, 1-0 in the league, increasing it's win streak to four. Sul Ross fell to 5-3, 1-2. The Jackets have beaten the Lobos in its last three matchups between the two schools.

LeTourneau stung Sul Ross early, holding an 18-8 advantage over the Lobos moving into the second period. The 10-point lead by LETU is the largest first quarter lead it has had all season.

SRSU stormed back in the second when Alexis Carmosino converted a layup, sparking a quick 5-0 run. Keauna Whitfield cashed in a three to hault the run, keeping the Jacket lead at 10, 25-15. A made basket from the Lobo's Teresa Quintana ignited a 13-2, granting SRSU its first lead of the contest, 28-27. Ajanae Thomas sank two free throws to move LETU ahead one, but a last second layup by Carmosino sent the YellowJackets to halftime down one, 30-29.

LeTourneau trailed at halftime for the first time on the year. Sul Ross outscored the Jackets 22-11 in the second quarter, making it the most points LETU has given up all season.

The Lobos didn't slow down to start the second half, putting together a 10-0 run to begin the third period. Whitfield struck again for LETU when Malacia Guy found her on back-to-back buckets to shrink the lead to seven, 40-33. After two made free throws from Sul Ross, the YellowJackets converted a 6-0 run when Guy and Whitfield both nailed one from long distance, cutting the lead to three. Whitfield spotted Guy in transition for a three, tying the game at 42 with 3:52 left in the third. Back-to-back triples from Thomas to end the quarter, propelled the Jackets ahead by one, 50-48.

LETU shot a game high 57% from the floor in the third quarter, while Sul Ross shot 47% from the field.

Whitfield netted a three-pointer from Thomas, extending the lead to four in the opening minutes of the final quarter. SRSU's Lauren Lusk found the bottom of the net on a layup, knotting the contest at 58. Allaira Jones broke the tie after converting a layup from Guy, but a Carmosino answered with a bucket of her own to tie the contest with 4:39 left to play in regulation. Sul Ross and LETU traded buckets to keep the game even, but Jones struck again on a layup to give the YellowJackets a two-point lead, 64-62 with 1:54 left. Guy swiped a crucial steal on the following possession, forcing the Lobos to foul. LeTourneau went 6-6 from the line to close out SRSU.
 
Inside the Numbers:
Whitfield had a season-high 28 points and five assists with six rebounds.
Jones, Guy, and Thomas all notched 12 points apiece.
Jones also had 12 rebounds for her third double-double of the season.
Guy also chipped in six assists and five steals.
Thomas had a career high four blocks to go along with six rebounds.
Kyndall Hardeman had two steals.
LETU tallied 13 second chance points, while SRSU only had three.
LeTourneau outrebounded Sul Ross 37-35.
Whitfield has scored in double figures 10 games in a row, dating back to last season.
Guy marks her 19^th game in a row with four or more assists, dating back to last season.
Whitfield has recorded a steal in every contest this season.
 
Up Next:
LETU continues its four game homestand as it hosts Howard Payne Saturday at 1 p.m. in Solheim Arena.