ABILENE, Texas - Coming away with an overtime victory to start 1-0 in the American Southwest Conference East Division, the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team rallied back to defeat Hardin-Simmons University, 94-84 victory. ETBU is now 8-2 overall and 1-0 in the ASC East.

Chris Haynes and Nathan Fontenot led the way for ETBU with 20 points each. Robby Dooley recorded a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds while Landin Brown and Jarrell Taylor also finished in double figures scoring 15 and 11 points respectively.

ETBU managed to outshoot the Cowboys 50.8% to 38.2% from the field including 47.1% from downtown. They also rebounded HSU, 42-39, ETBU would win the points in the paint department with 42 points while the bench came up with 37 in total.

ETBU and HSU would lock into a tight contest in the early portion of the first half. Haynes would be ETBU's spark plug as nine of his 11 first-half points came in the first ten minutes. ETBU would open an 18-13 lead with 8:51 left in the half before the Cowboys responded with eight unanswered points to lead 21-18 (7:03). Meanwhile, Dooley and Taylor would lead ETBU with 17 points between them in the final six and a half minutes to keep pace with the Cowboys in which they would grab the lead, 33-32. Following free throws from Taylor, the Tigers would push the lead to 37-34 on a jumper by Brown to enter halftime.  

ETBU would extend the lead to 44-36 early in the second half. Fontenot would catch fire with 18 points in the second half, including 10 straight points (16:26-12:15). Behind this performance, ETBU would build their lead to 65-54 with 6:02 left to go. Slowly, but surely, the Cowboys would make their way back into the game trailing 73-69 with 35 seconds left. The lead stayed at four until the Cowboys made a three cutting the lead to one, 75-74. Jordan Gray would go one-of-two to make it a 76-74 lead. HSU would tie the game in the final seconds with a layup only to miss the potential game-winning free-throw and the game went into overtime.  

ETBU regrouped in overtime as Brown would sink two free throws before Dooley would hit a big three to make it an 81-76 lead. The Cowboys would cut the lead to 83-80 with 2:09 to go but ETBU would get three free throws from Haynes and Brown, who later hit a layup with 55 seconds left to extend the lead. In the end, the Tigers finished the victory, 94-84.