MEMPHIS, Tenn. – On the heels of an Elite Eight appearance in the 2015 NCAA Division III Championship Tournament, the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team (1-0) marched into the 2015-16 season by defeating Rhodes College (Tenn.) (0-1), 58-55, on Saturday afternoon inside of Mallory-Hyde Gymnasium. Three players finished in double figures including Jamil Samuel who had a double-double with 19 points and 14 rebounds and two blocked shots.

For the day, ETBU shot 41.2 percent from the field and 66.7 from the free throw line. In addition to Samuel's offensive, Dylan Augustine and Bret Atkins contributed 10 points apiece. For Rhodes, Tyler Gee had 11 points, 12 rebounds and Aquil Muhammad had 16 points and eight rebounds.

During the opening half, ETBU held an eight-point edge following a dunk by Isaiah Thomas. Leading 29-24 with under four minutes until the half, ETBU did not score in the final three-plus minutes, while Rhodes scored the final four points of the first half. At the halftime buzzer, ETBU still held a slender 29-28 lead.

In a back-and-forth second half, ETBU took a 41-41 game and scored seven-straight points to assume a 48-41 lead. Later with the score knotted 50-50, ETBU scored six unanswered points to go ahead 56-50 and eventually edged the host by a 58-55 final.

Up next for ETBU is yet another road game on Tuesday, traveling to Shreveport, Louisiana, to play Centenary College (La.) at 7:30 p.m.