CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – Diving back into American Southwest Conference play, the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team defeated the University of the Ozarks, 76-65, on the road. With the victory, ETBU moves to 8-4 overall and 2-1 in ASC contests.
The Tigers connected on 51% from the floor (26-of-51) and added eight three pointers (8-of-20) for a 40% clip. ETBU also dished out 17 assists and turned away three shots defensively.
Aaron Gregg led five players scoring in double figures with 20 points and six assists on the day. Brown added 17 points and six rebounds,
Kevin Charles and
Jayden Williams each chipped in 12 points and
Chris Haynes returned from his three-game absence to score 10 points in the win.
The first 20 minutes belonged to the Tigers as a Charles layup sealed a 9-2 spurt for ETBU in the first 17:26 of play. Another layup by Charles moments later increased the lead to nine (12-3). The Ozarks would square the deficit at 12 after a 9-0 run of their own over the next three minutes. A jumper by Brown and a three pointer by Gregg capped off a short four point burst to give ETBU the 18-12 advantage at the midway point of the half.
Brown once again would answer for the Tigers, nailing a three pointer that pushed the lead to 10 (26-16) just two minutes later. A
Cody Hunter layup pushed the lead to 12 with 7:20 to play before halftime. The Ozarks would only be able to narrow the double-digit lead to eight before heading into the locker room with the 38-29 score at the break.
The Tigers opened the second half with a three pointer by
Charlie Cochran to match the game's largest lead at 12 (41-29) in the opening minute. The lead would balloon to 13 points (46-33) after a layup by Williams at the 17:43 mark of the game.
After the layup by Haynes kept the lead at 13 (48-35), the Eagles would respond with a 10-0 run to narrow the deficit to three, 48-45, with 15:18 to play. A dunk by Ozark's
Zach Bobo narrowed the gap to three (53-50) at the 12:30 mark of the contest. A layup by Darnell Renelique cut the lead to one (53-52) until another three pointer by Brown pushed the lead to four, 56-52, with 11:26 remining. A three pointer by Williams and a layup by Gregg would increase the lead to nine (67-58) at the 5:55 mark of the contest.
The Tigers would go on top by as many as 10 to closeout the ballgame, leading to the 76-65 victory over the Ozarks. ETBU will continue its road trip with a visit to Alpine, TX for a meeting with Sul Ross State University. The ASC matchup is set for 7:30 p.m. from the Gallego Center on Thursday, January 21, 2021.
