BELTON, Texas – Competing in another close forty-minute ballgame, the #16 East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team saw their season come to an end at the hands of a #9 University of Mary Hardin-Baylor buzzer beater, 64-62. ETBU finishes their season with 23 wins and will now wait to see if their win total will be enough to get them into the NCAA Tournament.
 
Kendrick Clark led all scorers with 20 points while Kim Childress tallied 14 points and notched eight rebounds. Kayla Bise added nine points while Sydney Saxton dished out five assists. For UMHB, Kendall Rollins was the top scorer with 13 points while D'Ashaih Williams (11 points, six rebounds) and Aubrie Elliott (10 points) contributed with double-digit scoring.
 
ETBU outshot UMHB 41.4%-38.1% from the field and made 42.1% from three-point range. They also outrebounded UMHB 44-33 while scoring 40 points in the paint and 14 second chance points But UMHB would score 21 points off turnovers and had 30 bench points, which proved to be key in the win.
 
After an early UMHB basket (9:15) in the first quarter, Clark would knock down ETBU's first three (8:47) to make it 3-2. She would then key an 8-2 run (8:29-7:20) with five more points for an 11-4 lead. UMHB would manage to get the lead as close as five points at 14-9 (5:51) and 18-13 (1:18). Solid post baskets from Wilson (3:54) and Erin Meeks (3:09) and three-pointers from Bise (6:11) and Hanna Hudson (0:58) would extend ETBU's lead to eight points (21-13). Clark would collect her tenth point in the quarter to make the score 23-13 after one.

UMHB would hold ETBU to just eight points the entire second quarter, but still clung to their lead at 31-26. UMHB started off with a 6-2 run (10:00-6:04) to get the game down to 25-19 before Childress answered with a three-pointer (5:55) to bring the lead back 28-19. Following four straight UMHB points in thirty seconds (4:49-4:19), ETBU fed the ball to Meeks (4:06) which saw the score at 30-23. Each team would combine for three points in the final four minutes as ETBU had a 31-26 lead at the half.
 
In the third quarter, UMHB cut ETBU's lead to one point at 34-33 (6:38) before Childress would knock down a crucial three-point play (5:50) This started a string of seven straight points as Clark would knock down a pair of jumpers giving ETBU a 41-33 lead. UMHB would run off six straight points (4:31-3:55) only for a Saxton jumper (3:45) and a Childress three (2:53) make it 46-39. The Crusaders would get hot and make eight straight baskets to lead 47-46 going to the final quarter.
 
Momentum continued for UMHB as they tallied six straight points (10:00-8:17), which saw their lead increase to 53-46. Not deterred, the Tigers refused to back down as they answered with an 14-2 run (8:00-3:41) to go back up 60-55 with Bise knocking down the go-ahead three (4:51). The Crusaders knotted the score with five unanswered (3:03-2:40) only to have Clark (2:12) sink a pair of go-ahead free throws for a 62-60 lead. ETBU clung to their two point lead in the final moments before UMHB tied the game with forty-two seconds left. A costly turnover by the Tigers led to the final shot by UMHB that gave them the win.

ETBU says good bye to four seniors in Valarie Matlock, Erin Meeks, Sydney Saxton, and April Matthews who all have played a vital role in revamping the program.