CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – Trailing by a 36-32 margin at halftime, the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team outscored host University of the Ozarks (Ark.) by 21 points in the second half en route to seizing a 79-62 victory on Thursday night at Mabee Gym. With two regular-season games remaining, ETBU has now won 11 games in a row and is 19-4 overall and 12-2 against American Southwest Conference competition. The 11 straight wins tops the best mark from last year which and now is the longest winning streak in ETBU program history in the NCAA Division III era.
Jordan Quillian finished with his second double-double performance this season, shooting nine-of-12 from the field. He totaled 19 points, 10 rebounds and three assists. Both of Quillian's double-doubles have come against the Ozarks.
Dylan Augustine finished with 17 points, four rebounds and four assists, while Wilbert Thomas (11 points, six rebounds) and Tyler Day (10 points) both chipped in double figures off of the bench. Junior Mitchell added eight points, four rebounds and six assists.
In the opening half, ETBU went ahead by a 19-10 margin following a Quillian basket at the 13:25 mark. A 12-0 run, however, switched the lead to the Ozarks, 22-19, after Dylan Gray connected from 3-point range with 10:57 remaining in the first half. Bret Atkins then scored a basket, and Thomas added a free throw to bring back to a tie at 22-22 at the 8:57 mark. The Ozarks would close the half ahead by a 36-32 as both teams headed to the locker rooms.
To start the second half, ETBU scored 12-straight points to assume an eight-point edge, 44-36, with 16:37 remaining in regulation. In this 12-0 spurt, Augustine chipped in a half dozen points, and Quillian and Atkins added four and two points, respectively. From that moment forward, ETBU would hold a double-digit lead for much of the remainder of the game, going up by as many as 18 points.
For the night, ETBU shot 45.0 percent from the floor (27-of-60) and 81.0 from the free throw line (17-of-21). Additionally, the team finished with seven more assists than turnovers (20-to-13).
The ASC's leading scorer, Josh Berard, led all players with 22 points. He also added four rebounds and two steals. Also in double figures for the Ozarks were Kelby Robinson (16 points, eight rebounds, two steals) and Jace Richardson (11 points, two rebounds, five assists, two steals).
ETBU finishes its five-game road trip on Saturday afternoon against the University of Texas Dallas. The opening jump is set for 3 p.m. in Richardson, Texas.
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