LONGVIEW, Texas -- Deonte Jackson hit a tough layup with 3.2 seconds to go, and LeTourneau men's hoops held on for a 74-72 win in their second matchup of the LETU Classic in Solheim Arena.

Jackson scored 21 points on 8-13 FG, and his teammate Caedmon Liebengood scored a team-high 22 on 9-13 FG, including a punctuating dunk that put the crowd on its feet. Walker Blaine added 13 points, including a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe, to help lift the YellowJackets (4-1) to victory.

The game opened with Concordia-Chicago (2-2) jumping out to an early 6-0 lead, but LeTourneau answered with a 10-2 run to take the lead back. Jackson and Liebengood scored all ten in this stretch. The rest of the half was a defensive battle, with the YellowJackets scoring the final five points to take a 28-26 lead at the half. Liebengood hit the go-ahead 3-point jumper with six seconds remaining in the half to put LeTourneau on top heading into the break.

A 6-2 second half-opening run pushed the YellowJacket lead up to six. Later, a Blaine three made it nine, but the Cougars rallied to close it to three with just under 14 minutes to go. With the final stretch of the half approaching, the YellowJackets needed some big buckets. 

They got 'em.

A Connor Miller 3-pointer got the lead back to six, and then after another short rally by Concordia-Chicago, Branson Lynn nailed another big three to put the lead at seven.

However, with the Cougars able to tie the score with just under eight minutes to go, LeTourneau needed some more clutch plays. 

Teigan Edwards provided one of them, with a 3-pointer from the corner untying the score. Concordia-Chicago was not nearly done though, as a final rally was punctuated by a layup from Joel Watts to give the Cougars a one-point lead with only 49 seconds remaining.

Then, Jackson and the defense came to life.

After a Jackson free throw tied things up again at 72, Blaine played great defense on the Cougars' ensuing possession, forcing a miss from Jacob Collicott and giving the YellowJackets a chance for a final shot.

Jackson received the ball in the final seconds and patiently waited for his window. As soon as he saw it, he headed in the direction of the paint, and leapt in the air, corkscrewing underneath the Cougar defense and kissing it off the glass as the crowd roared with approval.

Not to be denied, Edwards made a crucial defensive stop, forcing Collicott to heave a shot after the buzzer sounded, and the YellowJackets emerged victorious.

Collicott and Darrian Williams led the Cougars with 22 points each, and Collicott also had team-best marks of 11 boards, four assists, four steals, and three blocks.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau will take Sunday off and then return to action on Monday evening against McMurry at 6 p.m. in Solheim Arena.

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