LONGVIEW, Texas – LeTourneau women's basketball has its sights on the winning column as it heads to Marshall to take on crosstown rival and No. 18 nationally ranked East Texas Baptist Thursday at 5:30 p.m., and at Belhaven Saturday at 1:00 p.m.
GAME INFO - ETBU
LeTourneau (8-5, 5-3 ASC) at ETBU (12-3, 8-2 ASC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 27
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Ornelas Gym, Marshall, Texas
Watch |
Live Stats
GAME INFO – Belhaven
LeTourneau (8-5, 5-3 ASC) at Belhaven (7-4, 3-4 ASC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 29
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Location: Heidelberg Gymnasium, Jackson, Miss.
Watch | Live Stats
MATCHUP HISTORY - ETBU
All-time: LeTourneau trails 6-17
Last Meeting: L, 75-63, Longview, Texas, Dec. 11, 2021
Last Meeting in Marshall, Texas: L, 63-51, Feb. 25, 2021
MATCHUP HISTORY – Belhaven
All-time: LeTourneau leads 10-3
Last Meeting: W, 86-72, Longview, Texas, Dec. 9, 2021
Last Meeting in Jackson, Miss.: W, 82-67, Mar. 5, 2021
About LETU
The YellowJackets are back and itching for revenge after falling to the nationally ranked ETBU Tigers in its first meeting. LETU also looks to cap off a regular season sweep of the Belhaven after downing the Blazers in Solheim Arena back on December 9
th. LeTourneau currently sits at fifth in the conference with a 5-3 ASC record. The Jackets foster in one of the most potent offenses in the ASC, ranking third in scoring offenses with a 71.8 points per game average. LeTourneau's offense is not only powerful but also efficient, sitting at third in the ASC at .388. LETU has four of the top 15 scorers in the league, led by
Keauna Whitfield holding down the No. 1 slot in points per game for the ASC with 18.5.
Allaira Jones,
Malacia Guy, and
Ajanae Thomas own valuable contributions to the scoring efforts, averaging 15.5, 12.5, and 12.3, respectively. The Jackets are tenacious on the glass, outrebounding opponents by +3.3. Jones spearheads the rebounding category, leading the conference at 9.8 rebounds per contest. Jones also leads the league in field goal percentage, shooting a .532 clip. Guy paces the offense for the LeTourneau, sitting at the No. 1 spot for assist and three-point field goals made with a 5.5 and 2.6 average, respectively. On the defensive end of the floor, the YellowJackets have swiped over 100 steals on the season. Whitfield and Guy total 61 steals between the two. Jones leads the team in blocked shots with 14 total, pitting her at second in the conference for blocked shots per game. At the charity stripe LETU is money, shooting .709.
About ETBU
The Tigers enter the contest on a three game win streak, defeating Concordia, Hardin-Simmons, and McMurry on the way. East Texas Baptist is currently ranked No.18 in the nation and third in the American Southwest Conference. ETBU is highlighted by its sturdy defensive efforts, holding opponents to only 52.9 points per game to lead the league. Taylor Singleton sets the tone defensively, totaling 45 steals, leading the ASC. The Tigers average 11.4 steals per game, pitting them second in the ASC. East Texas Baptist also holds the top spot in defensive rebounds, led by Singleton who averages 5.8 rebounds a game. Mollie Dittmar and Jade Goynes also chip into the rebounding efforts, tallying an average of five and 4.9 rebounds a game, respectively. ETBU's defense is just the tip of the iceberg. They bring in the No. 4 rated scoring offense in the league, averaging 69 points per game. The Tigers create a balance scoring attack with six players averaging at least six points per contest. Singleton and Mallory Stephens pave the way with a 9.5 and 9.1 point average, respectively. ETBU shares the ball extremely well with four players with 20 or more assists on the season. Grace Stephens leads the squad in assists with 36, while Kaia Williams and Mallory Stephens total 35 and 33, respectively.
About Belhaven
The Blazers of Belhaven are eager to get back to playing, after five of its last six games have been canceled. Belhaven hangs its hat on its defensive efforts, ranking first in the league three-point field goal percentage defense and third in overall field goal percentage defense. The Blazers are holding opponents to just .352 shooting from the floor. Xhiir Burgess anchors the defense, leading the team and the ASC in blocked shots with an average of 1.6. Shomaria Overton is a crucial piece to the defense with 25 total steals on the year, putting her fifth in the conference. Offensively, Overton leads the way for the Blazers, filtering in a 14.2 scoring average. Nyah Davis and Burgess are second in command for the offense, rounding out the only other double-digit scorers for Belhaven with an 11.8 and 10 points per game average. On the boards, Burgess also spearheads that department, sitting at the No. 1 slot for offensive rebounds with three per game. Overton leads the team in assists at 5.5 per contest, placing her second in the conference.
Follow LeTourneau Athletics
For complete coverage of LeTourneau athletics, please follow the YellowJackets on social media at @LETUAthletics (Twitter), /letuathletics (Facebook), @letu_athletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of LeTourneau Athletics at letuathletics.com.
