KERRVILLE, Texas- Powered by a career-best performance by Nathan Fontenot, the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team defeated Texas Lutheran 99-86 on Saturday afternoon. With the victory, ETBU finishes the Schreiner University Classic at 2-0 and improves to 8-2 overall on the season.

Fontenot led a well-balanced attack by the Tigers, tallying a career-high 30 points, including knocking down six shots from the three-point line. Robby Dooley scored 15 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor and Darrice Whitley pitched in a double-double with 12 points and ten rebounds.  Jordan Gosey added 12 points and seven rebounds and Landin Brown rounded out the effort with 12 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Jackson Willoughby led the Bulldogs with 21 points.

A jumper from Alex Cage broke the scoring seal in the first 20 seconds of the ballgame to give TLU the early 2-0 advantage.  ETBU responded with a layup by Whitley to knot the game at 2-2 in the first minute of the contest.  After Gosey connected on a jump shot to tie up the ballgame at 4-4, TLU answered back with a three pointer to go on top by three, 7-4, with 18:16 to play in the first half. ETBU would take their first lead of the game nearly two minutes later on a layup by Dooley, bringing the score to 8-7 at the 16:39 mark.

The game was a back and forth affair until Fontenot started his barrage from the three-point line in the first half. The freshman knocked down a three pointer to give ETBU the 23-19 lead with 11:40 to play in the half. Fontenot responded with yet another three point shot plus the foul that gave the Tigers a two point lead, 26-24, a minute later.  Fontenot would venture inside the paint, converting on a layup off of the dish by Brown to increase the lead to five, 31-26, with 9:23 to play in the first 20 minutes.

With the Tigers up by nine with three seconds on the clock, Brown sank a jump shot from the perimeter to give ETBU the double-digit advantage (47-36) to end the opening half.

ETBU shot 58.8 percent from the floor (20-of-34) and connected on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc (62.5%). Fontenot had racked up 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting from the three-point line.

The Tigers opened the second half with Whitley converting on a layup off another feed by Brown to put the team on top 49-36 in the first minute. ETBU would increase the lead to 14, until Fontenot pushed it to 17 (69-52) with another three pointer at the 11:12 mark of the game. The Tigers would lead by as many as 18 before coming away with the 99-86 win over the Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.

ETBU will travel to Abilene, Texas for an American Southwest Conference showdown with Hardin-Simmons on Thursday, Jan. 4.