KERRVILLE, Texas- Thanks to a plus 12 advantage on the glass, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team pushed passed TLU, 80-55 on Saturday afternoon. ETBU finished tournament play with a spotless record of 2-0 and an overall record of 9-1 on the season.
Kim Childress led the Tigers with 18 points, while
Karley McHenry chipped in 15 points and connected on 5-of-8 shooting from deep.
Sydney Saxton added 10 points and five assists and
Madison McCoy tallied seven points and dished out 10 assists in the victory.
Childress connected on the first shot of the contest, knocking down a three pointer to give the Tigers the 3-0 lead in the opening seconds of the first period.
Erin Meeks converted on a shot inside the paint to put her team on top 5-1 at the 8:04 mark of the first quarter. Childress would score off of a dish by McCoy to push the four point lead to six just 30 seconds later. McCoy created her own offense on the ensuing play by knocking down a three pointer to give ETBU the eight point advantage over TLU (10-2). The lead grew to 15 points over the next three minutes, until back-to-back threes by McHenry and
Mallory Stephens pushed the lead 21, 25-4, with 2:43 to play in the first quarter.
Fallon Hilliard knocked down a jumper off a pass by Saxton with just 24 seconds on the clock, as ETBU finished the quarter with a 30-14 lead over TLU.
It only took the first three seconds of the second quarter for McHenry to nail yet another shot from beyond the arc to give her team the 19 point advantage (33-14). The Tigers maintained a double-digit lead for much of the quarter, when McHenry connected on her fourth shot from distance, bringing the score to 45-23 with 2:48 to play before the half. Another three pointer and a layup by
Katy Boren gave ETBU its largest lead at 26 (54-28) with 45 seconds to play until halftime. The Tigers went into the locker room with a 54-30 edge over the Bulldogs.
ETBU shot 21-of-45 (46.7%) from the floor and 9-of-16 (56.3%) from beyond the arc in the first half.
ETBU would lead by as many as 27 on multiple occasions before coming away with the 80-55 win over TLU. The Tigers out-rebounded the Bulldogs 52-40 and connected on 11-of-26 shooting (42.3%) from the three point line.
 ETBU will travel to Abilene, Texas for a meeting with American Southwest opponent Hardin-Simmons on Thursday, Jan. 4. The game is set to tip-off at 5:30 p.m.
