MARSHALL, Texas – For much of this game, LeTourneau University women's basketball team was making believers of themselves against the second-ranked team in the country.
A first quarter YellowJackets lead, eight ties and nine lead changes will tend to make believers out of anyone. But host East Texas Baptist pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 63-51 win in Ornelas Gymnasium Thursday to keep its unblemished record in tact. The same two teams will meet again 1 p.m. Saturday at Solheim Arena in Longview.
LeTourneau (10-4, 6-3 American Southwest Conference) had not played in 19 days after two weeks of poor weather put everything on hold. But the Jackets came game ready from the tip, and it showed.
LETU led 15-12 after the first quarter.
Keauna Whitfield, who finished with 21 points, going 5 of 9 from three-point range, knocked down a triple with 2:11 to play in the opening quarter to give the Jackets the three-point lead. Whitfield scored 11 points in the quarter.
ETBU (20-0, 12-0) tied the game early in the second quarter, but
Kyndall Hardeman sank a free throw, and Whitfield scored on a layup to put LETU back up by three. Kenidi White's triple pulled the Tigers even, but Whitfield answered again, burying a 3-pointer of her own to put the Jackets in control, 21-18, midway through the period.
Scruffy Hopkins' three-pointer 3:12 before halftime gave the YellowJackets their largest lead, 24-20, in a game where the margin for error was thin. Mallory Stephens' layup and Grace Stephens' triple put the Tigers ahead by one with under a minute to play in the half before
Ty Moon sank two free throws to push the Jackets back on top. Haley Fieseler tripled in transition to send ETBU into the break leading, 28-26.
LeTourneau hit 5 of 10 triples in the first half. East Texas Baptist was 3 of 10, going 0-for-5 in the first quarter.
Ajanae Thomas scored the first five points in the second half as LETU jumped back in front by three. Mallory Stephens and White both hit threes, the latter coming at the midway point in the third period, as ETBU crept back ahead, 36-33. The Tigers extended their lead to seven before Hardeman scored on a dish from Hopkins to cut it to four. Mollie Dittmar's layup pushed ETBU back up by eight, but Thomas knocked down a jumper, and Hopkins canned another three with seven seconds left in the quarter to pull the YellowJackets within 44-41.
East Texas Baptist put it away in the fourth quarter, outscoring LeTourneau, 19-10. The Tigers shot 6 of 12 from the floor in the quarter. The Jackets went 4 of 13. ETBU outscored LETU, 21-6, in points off turnovers, and 24-10 in bench production.
Hopkins scored nine points, and grabbed four rebounds. Whitfield had seven boards, a block and a steal to go along with her 21 points. Thomas finished with nine points and a steal before fouling out.
Flora Akingbade had seven boards, two blocks and a steal. Hardeman had six points and four rebounds.
Malacia Guy had five assists, four rebounds, three steals and a block.
Mallory Stephens had 21 points, and Singleton, Fieseler and Grace Stephens each scored nine for the Tigers.
