BELTON, Texas – Kyle Matthews and No. 2 LETU rode a hot start to a 73-61 victory over No. 7 Sul Ross State at the Mayborn Campus Center Thursday in the first round of the 2022 American Southwest Conference Men's Basketball Championship.
 
The YellowJackets improved to 21-4, while the Lobos conclude the campaign at 10-16.
 
Matthews hit 7 of 9 from the floor in the game, including 2 of 3 from behind the arc and added 6 of 7 at the free-throw line. He finished with a game-high 22 points, including 16 in the opening period, grabbed six rebounds, handed out six assists and had two steals.
 
Facing a 10-9 deficit five minutes into the game, Deonte Jackson drained a three, sparking a 37-13 and pushing the YellowJackets out to a 46-26 halftime advantage.
 
LETU shot a season-best 70.4% from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, while holding Sul Ross to 25%. The YellowJackets connected on six of their 10 attempts from long range in the period.
 
Sul Ross State continued to claw and fight, getting as close as eight points. The Lobos scored five straight in less than a minute and trailed 59-51 with 8:38 left on the clock. 5-0 run by the Lobos
 
Christian Adams nudged the cushion back to double-digits when he buried a jumper from just outside the paint. LETU maintained a comfortable cushion over the final eight minutes.
 
Adams notched his second-career double-double with 15 points, 11 boards, adding five assists, two steals and two rejections. Jackson netted 13 points and six assists.
 
Andrew Eberhardt recorded 13 points, 13 rebounds, the sixth double-double of his career, including four this season. Warren Richardson chipped in with 10 points and scooped up nine missed field-goal attempts.
 
The YellowJackets face No. 3 Hardin-Simmons at 5 p.m. Friday in the first semifinal. The Cowboys moved on with an 89-79 victory over No. 6 McMurry to open the tournament. No. 4 UT Dallas defeated ETBU 71-68 in the first game of the night session and takes on the No. 1 UMHB/No. 8 Concordia Texas winner in semifinal No. 2.