JACKSON, Miss. – Hanging by a thread in the final seconds, the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team escaped with a big road victory against Belhaven University, 84-83. The win has ETBU 12-10 overall and 8-5 in American Southwest Conference East Division play.
ETBU had a pair of 21-point games from
Robby Dooley (eight-of-13) and
Jordan Gray (six-of-10, seven rebounds, five assists) while
Nathan Fontenot added 11 points. BU was led by 21 points from Jonathan Durham while Kelvin Pruitt (11 points) and Tommy McCoy (10 points) also scored in double figures.
The Tigers finished the night outshooting BU 59.2%-52.6% from the field as they would also score 18 points off turnovers and 12 fast break points. ETBU also made 81% from the free throw line making 17-of-21 free throws. BU would control much of the other categories including rebounds (29-23), assists (26-21), and points in the paint (44-36). But ETBU did pick up six of the game's 11 steals total.
ETBU would get the game started with an 11-3 run (20:00-16:44) with Gray converting a pair of three's (18:16, 16:44) to kick start the Tigers. BU responded with eight straight points (16:11-14:43) to knot the score at 11. Each team would then exchange points for the next six minutes (14:15-8:05) as neither team led by more than three points although Dooley would tally seven points in the stretch as BU led 29-26. The Blazers would then go on an 8-4 push (6:19-3:28) bringing the lead to 37-30. Free throws by
Spencer Cochran (2:49) and jumpers by
Jarrell Taylor (2:22) and Dooley (1:56) got ETBU to within 37-36. By the end of the first half, the Blazers would use a 6-3 run to go up 43-39 at the break.
ETBU tied the game early in the second half with
Christopher Haynes (19:44) and Dooley (19:16) converting jump shots. For the next five minutes (18:42-14:23), the lead for either side didn't grow more than three as ETBU battled to a 55-55 tie with Gray (18:42-18:15) again the catalyst picking up five points and two assists in the stretch. BU extended the lead to 60-55 (14:26) only for ETBU to answer back with five unanswered of their own (13:22-12:29). The Blazers would then go on an 8-2 run (11:34-9:49) to lead 68-62. But again, ETBU battled back to trail within one at 70-69 (7:10). The next six minutes remained tight before ETBU would tie the game on a Dooley layup (1:31). The Blazers then sank a three (1:09) to go back up 83-80. A pair of Dooley free throws (0:45) cut the deficit to 83-82. Then after a missed Blazers' jumper, ETBU would take the lead with a Fontenot layup (0:11) at 84-83. BU would have one final attempt to win the game but ETBU's defense held as BU's shot failed to go in and the Tigers left with the win.
The Tigers will now head out to Pineville, La., to go up against Louisiana College. Tipoff starts at 3:30 PM.
