BROWNWOOD, Texas -- Christian Adams registered a triple-double and the LeTourneau men's basketball team rallied from an 18-point deficit in the first half to storm past Howard Payne, 106-90, in ASC action on Saturday afternoon in Brownwood.

Adams totaled 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists to record his first career triple-double and also collected two steals in the win. He went 6-of-13 from the field and threw down a monster one-handed slam dunk in the second half to help the YellowJackets pull away.

It was the first LeTourneau triple-double since Nate West's against Belhaven on Jan. 23, 2020.

LeTourneau (15-8, 9-5 ASC) won its fourth straight game in the process and holds firm to third in the ASC standings with one week left in the regular season.

Down 36-18 with 6:30 left in the first half, LeTourneau turned the game on its head from that point forward. The visiting YellowJackets outscored Howard Payne 23-13 the rest of the way in the first half to trim the deficit to 49-41 at the half.

Howard Payne (10-14, 4-12 ASC) extended the margin back to 12 (57-45) early in the second half, but LeTourneau came roaring back. The YellowJackets used a 16-4 run over a stretch of four minutes to even the game at 61 apiece with 12:54 remaining. Jackson Mayes had six points during the run and a Teigan Edwards free throw knotted the score.

The final 10 minutes of the game belonged to LeTourneau. The YellowJackets surged ahead with a 21-5 scoring run over just a three-minute stretch to break open a close game. Mayes added nine points in the run, while Adams and Caedmon Liebengood had six apiece. The margin never dipped below double-digits the rest of the way.

LeTourneau outscored Howard Payne 65-41 in the second half.

Rebounding was at the forefront of the comeback for the YellowJackets. LeTourneau grabbed a season-high 54 rebounds and had a plus-13 margin on the glass, while tallying 23 second-chance points on 20 offensive rebounds. 

The YellowJackets also dished out a season-high 24 assists and tied a team-high with 13 3-pointers.

Mayes had a game-high 26 points, while Liebengood recorded a double-double with 22 points and 14 rebounds. Alex Ferrell added 15 points. Ferrell, Mayes, and Liebengood all hit three 3-pointers each in the victory. Deonte Jackson totaled nine points and five assists.

LeTourneau made 45.9 percent (39-of-85) from the field with those 13 3-pointers and went 15-of-22 at the line. The 106 points are the second-most for the YellowJackets this season.

Jarod Johnson and Armonie Ramey each had 17 points for Howard Payne. The hosts shot 45.5 percent (35-of-77) for the game, but were held to 6-of-29 from deep.

UP NEXT

LeTourneau returns home on Thursday to face UT Dallas (7:30 p.m.).

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