MARSHALL, Texas – Closing out the final day of the ETBU Classic, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team used a late fourth quarter surge to secure the, 75-70, victory over the University of St. Thomas (TX) Celts. With back-to-back victories at home, ETBU improves to 2-2 overall on the season.

Kim Childress led a solid effort across the board, tallying a team-high 17 points, six rebounds and five assists. Amanda Wilson posted 16 points and eight rebounds on an impressive six-of-seven shooting from the floor. Hanna Hudson and Alena Johnston each chipped in nine points for the Tigers.

As a team, ETBU shot an impressive 52.0 % from the floor (26-of-50) and dished out 20 assists in the contest. The Tigers also connected on 6-of-18 shooting from beyond the arc (33.3%). Defensively, ETBU held UST to just 40.6% shooting from the floor (26-of-64) and 8-of-27 (29.6%) from the three-point line. Sheridan Hopkins led the Celts with 25 points.

Childress scored the game's first basket in the opening minute of the first quarter, driving through the teeth of the defense for a layup to put ETBU on top, 2-0. Hopkins responded for the Celts with a layup of her own to knot the game at, 2-2, on the ensuing possession. April Matthews, Hudson and Wilson each scored the next six points to increase the lead to six (8-2) at the 6:47 mark of the first quarter. The next two minutes saw the Tiger lead increase to seven (12-5) on a jumper by Anna Moss. UST would embark on a 9-2 run to tie up the ballgame at 14-14 with two minutes remaining in the quarter. Wilson capped off a 7-2 run by ETBU with a layup in the final 30 seconds of the quarter, pushing the score to 21-16.

The second quarter saw the Tigers take their first double digit lead of the contest (30-20) after Moss converted a layup from a pass by Grace Stephens at the 4:43 mark. The next two minutes would see Johnston increase the lead to 16 (36-20) after sinking a deep corner three with 2:17 to play in the half. UST scored six of the next seven points but trailed ETBU, 37-26, at the break.

A three pointer by Aerial Starks narrowed the gap to eight (37-29) for the Celts in the opening minute of the third quarter. Both teams would battle back and forth over the next few possessions, until the Tigers roared back with a 10-4 spurt to bring the lead to 14 (47-33) capped off by a Bianca Bowring jumper at the midway point of the third. UST cut the deficit to nine points again after a layup by Hopkins (51-42) in the final minute of the quarter. ETBU headed into the final frame with a 10-point lead (53-43) thanks to a Hudson layup.

 Wilson would score the team's first four points of the quarter, before UST trimmed the lead to two after a three pointer by Alexya Castillo with 7:08 to play. Mallory Stephens helped to keep the road team at bay with a foul line jumper (59-55) in the final five minutes of the contest. A three pointer by Johnston and another bucket by Stephens helped seal the deal for the Tigers down the stretch, leading to the 75-70 result.

ETBU will return to Ornelas Gymnasium on Saturday, Nov. 23^rd with a matchup against Trinity University (TX). Saturday's tip-off is set for 1:00 p.m.