AUSTIN, Texas – Using gritty play down the stretch, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team earned their first American Southwest Conference victory, 68-53, over Concordia University (TX) on Saturday afternoon. ETBU moves to 1-1 in ASC play and 7-1 overall. CTX drops to 2-5 on the season and 1-1 in ASC contests. 
 
Kendrick Clark led the way for the Tigers, recording 15 points and three steals. Amanda Wilson added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Marissa Warren notched 11 points off the bench in the win. As a team, the Tigers shot 40 percent from the floor (26-of-65) and connected on 8-of-27 (29.6%) shooting from beyond the arc. Payton Berger led the effort for the Tornados with 17 points and nine rebounds. 
 
Clark opened with the first points of the ballgame, nailing a three pointer off the assist by Valarie Matlock to bring the score to 3-0 in the first minute. Wilson cleaned up a miss by the Tigers on the ensuing possessions, converting a layup to push the score to 5-0 at the 7:31 mark of the first quarter. Erin Meeks capped a 9-2 start with a bankshot in the paint at the midway point of the first period. Matlock finished out the quarter with a breakaway layup, giving ETBU the 19-10 advantage in the closing moments. 
 
Clark helped to polish off a 6-0 start to the second quarter for the Tigers, banking home a layup in transition to give her team the 25-10 lead in the first minute. ETBU would hold a 15 point lead (33-18) until the Tornados closed the half with a 14-4 run to trim the lead to five (37-32) going into the locker room. 
 
A baseline jumper by CTX's Keturah Taylor brought the game to within three (37-34) with 8:47 to play in the third. The Tigers then surged to an impressive 15-1 run, capped off by a layup by Wilson to go on top 52-35 with just under a minute remaining in the period. The Tigers limited the Tornados to just six points in the quarter, heading into the final session with a 52-38 advantage. 
 
The Tigers would see their largest lead of 20 (67-47) after five consecutive points by Warren at 4:13 mark of the ballgame. ETBU would manage the game well down the stretch, finishing with the 68-53 victory on the road. 
 
ETBU will return to Ornelas Gymnasium for a matchup against Sul Ross State University on Saturday, Dec. 8, at 1:00 p.m.