#TIGERSWIN | @ETBU_MBSK Quiets LC Taking Over First Place in ASC East

MARSHALL, Texas - Erupting in the second half with great shooting, the East Texas Baptist University men’s basketball team walked off Ornelas Court with a 72-59 win over Louisiana College. Having won four of the last five games, ETBU now sits on top of the American Southwest Conference East Division at 4-2 and is 10-5 overall. 

Five players reached double-figures as Charlie Cochran led with 17 points and nine rebounds just shy of a double-double. Chris Haynes finished with 16 points while Landin Brown (seven assists) recorded 11 points. Both Kevin Charles and Aaron Gregg had seven assists on the night. Bailey Hardy led the Wildcats with 22 points. 

Edging out LC in field goal percentage (50.9-47.1), the Tigers would benefit with 46 points in the paint and 25 points off turnovers. ETBU out-rebounded LC 30-27 on the boards and forced the Wildcats to 24 turnovers. Both teams would make 75% from the free throw line while LC’ made half of their three-pointers. 

FIRST HALF | ETBU 30, LC 27

ETBU opened the night with a 9-2 run (19:20-15:40) as Haynes and Gregg led with four points each. The Wildcats would rally back to knot the score at 16 with a 14-7 run (15:40-8:57). The rest of the half would see both teams exchanging leads as Cochran (5:53) and Charles (5:37) created a three-point lead at 23-20. That would change with five straight points from LC (5:15-4:09) making it, 25-23. Brown knotted the game at 25 before Cochran and Gregg ended the half with five of the final seven points. Despite being outshot (52.2-41.9) from the field in the first half, ETBU maintained a 30-27 lead at the break.

SECOND HALF | ETBU 42, LC 32

The Tigers stretched their lead to seven points early in the second half, 37-30, in the first three minutes (16:57). After the lead was cut down to 43-38 with 13:59 to go, the Tigers started to pull away with an 11-6 run (14:06-9:02) to extend the lead to 12, 54-42. ETBU would record 61.5% from the field in the second half as the lead would build to 17 points, 68-51, with 2:24 to go. LC would claw back with eight straight points to trail, 68-59. In the end, free throws by Logan Blow and Brown iced the win, 72-59, for the Tigers.

ETBU returns to Ornelas Gym this Saturday to battle with the Blazers of Belhaven at 3:30 PM.