MARSHALL, Texas – A complete team victory took place for the East Texas Baptist University men's basketball team as they held off Concordia University-Texas, 92-84. ETBU has now won four games in a row and is 8-7 overall and 6-4 in the American Southwest Conference.
Aaron Gregg produced 20 points with three assists and three steals.
Jaden Conner added 15 points and eight rebounds while
Darry Moored had 15 points and
Chris Haynes 12 points. Both
Charlie Cochran and
Kevin Charles collected 10 points. Donovan Stafford had 21 points for CTX.
ETBU out rebounded CTX, 38-25, and forced 21 turnovers with nine steals and five blocks. Haynes led the team with two blocks. Overall, ETBU finished shooting 51% from the floor, took 54 free throws making 33 (61%), and was 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. CTX shot 54% overall making 41% of their three-point shots and 66% (6-of-9) from the line.
POST GAME INTERVIEW
FIRST HALF
CTX jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first minute of the game but ETBU pulled within one, 6-5, on a three-pointer from Gregg at the 16:54 mark. Conner tied the game at eight making one-of-two from the line (14:47) and then Cochran put ETBU in front for the first time on a jumper just 30 seconds later, 10-8. The game was then tied at 10 and 14 before ETBU went on a 5-0 run over in 20 seconds for the lead again, 19-14.
Ryan Elzy had an offensive put-back and then Gregg converted a three-point play for the biggest lead of the game to that point. Elzy made it a seven-point lead, 24-17, with 10:50 left and still had a seven-point lead, 29-22, on a Moore fast break layup at the 6:15 mark. In the last 4:30 of the game, ETBU was up by six, 33-27, but CTX went on a 7-1 run for a one-point lead, 34-33 (2:13). ETBU answered with a 6-0 run for a five-point lead, 39-34, with a Cochran three-pointer but CTX made a lay-up as time expired to be down three at the half, 39-36.
RYAN ELZY BUCKET
SECOND HALF
It took almost a minute for CTX to tie the game at 39 and then took the lead, 44-41, with 18 minutes left in the game. In the next three minutes, ETBU had an 11-2 run for a six-point lead, 52-46, ending on a Moore fast-break dunk. Elzy once again put ETBU back up by eight, 56-48, with 13:48 left in the game. With 8:52 to go, Haynes converted a lay-up for a 10-point lead, 66-56, as ETBU kept their distance. Charles gave ETBU an 11-point lead on dunk with 4:04 left and Gregg made it a 13-point game on two free throws, 82-69, with 3:31 to go. CTX didn't get any closer than six points in the final minute, 90-84, and two Haynes free throws sealed the win, 92-84.
DARRY MOORE DUNK
STAT OF THE GAME
ETBU shot 54 free throws making 33 for 61%.
NOTES
- The 92 points scored is the most scored this season by ETBU.
- It is the first time this season that six players have scored in double figures in a game.
- This is the fourth time this season that Aaron Gregg has scored 20+ points in a game and the eighth time in his career.
- Jaden Conner has scored 10+ points in three games this year and had a season-high 15 points vs. CTX
- Conner's eight rebounds is a career-high surpassing his six vs. Ozarks from last year.
- Kevin Charles had 10+ points in a game for the third time this year with 10 vs. CTX, 11 vs. HPU, and 14 vs. LETU.
- Charlie Cochran collected 10 points and now has 10 or more points in seven games this year. He has scored 10+ points in five of the last six games played.
- ETBU took the same amount of field goals (54) as they did free throws (54).
- ETBU shot 66% in the second half, 14-of-21, scoring 53 points.
- Haynes was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line and is the seventh game this season he hasn't missed a free throw in a game.
UP NEXT
ETBU will travel to Abilene, Texas, next weekend to face Hardin-Simmons University on Thursday, January 20, at 7:30 p.m. ETBU fell to HSU, 93-65, in the first meeting in Marshall this year but only trails the Cowboys in the standings by half a game. HSU is 6-3 while ETBU is 6-4 in the ASC. ETBU has lost the last three meetings vs. HSU and hasn't won since January 2, 2020, 94-84, in OT.
