ABILENE, Texas – Holding #16 Hardin-Simmons University to just four made baskets in the second half, #20 East Texas Baptist University won their second NCAA Division III top 20 showdown of the year, 56-51. ETBU is now 11-3 overall and 7-2 in the American Southwest Conference. HSU was held to just eight points in the third quarter and nine points in the fourth quarter on 16% shooting.
Mallory Stephens was the only player in double figures with 14 points and had seven rebounds.
Kaia Williams added nine points while
Taylor Singleton had nine points, a career-high 12 rebounds, and two assists.
Mollie Dittmar recorded 10 rebounds. Brittany Schnabel had 16 points for HSU.
Both teams shot 32% from the floor and ETBU made 23% from the arc while HSU was at 28%. ETBU hit 78% of their free throws and HSU made 61%. ETBU out rebounded HSU, 47-33, forcing 21 turnovers with 11 steals.
FIRST HALF
It was a fast first quarter and the most productive as 42 combined points were scored with HSU leading 22-20 at the end. HSU took a six-point lead, 15-9, just over four minutes into the game. ETBU had the lead down to one, twice, 17-16 on a
Mallory Stephens layup and 19-18 on a
Grace Stephens layup. HSU went up 22-18 before
Bridget Upton banked in a lay up with no time left in the quarter down two, 22-20.
ETBU stayed close in the second quarter taking a two-point lead, 27-25, at the 6:45 mark on a Williams three-pointer. HSU responded with a 4-0 run over four and half minutes for a 31-27 lead.
Brooke Webster had a lay up with 2:22 left to come within two, 31-29, but the Tigers didn't make a shot in the final two minutes to trail by five at the half, 34-29.
GRACE STEPHENS
SECOND HALF
It became a defensive struggle in the second half for both teams with ETBU putting together the stingiest defense. In the third quarter, HSU went 2-of-10 making one three-pointer and going 3-of-4 from the stripe. It took HSU almost five minutes to score in the third quarter. ETBU opened with four points in two and half minutes for a three-point lead, 37-34.
Mallory Stephens had the lay up for the three-point lead with 7:31 to go. In a minute time span from 5:28 to 4:20, HSU hit both of their shots from the floor for a two-point lead, 39-37. Williams tied the game at 39 but HSU took a three-point lead 42-39, with 2:35 left.
Grace Stephens tied the game at 42 with 2:07 left and then Dittmar had an offensive putback for the two-point lead to end the third up, 44-42.
KAIA WILLIAMS THREE-POINTER
ETBU didn't allow HSU to make any three-pointers in the fourth quarter holding them to just 16% shooting overall. In the first minute and half, ETBU pushed their lead to eight points, 50-42, with six straight points. Two free throws from
Hanna Hudson, a layup from
Mallory Stephens, and an offensive second chance by Singleton gave ETBU their largest lead. HSU made a jumper at the 8:08 mark to come within six as they didn't make a shot from the floor until the 1:58 mark. In that six minutes, ETBU also did not make a bucket as HSU tied the game at 50 with 1:50 left to play.
Mallory Stephens broke the offensive silence with a lay up for the lead, again, and then Singleton hit a three-pionter for a four-point lead, 55-51, with 29 seconds to go. Williams made one-of-two from the line with seven seconds left to ice the game and win, 56-51.
STAT OF THE GAME
ETBU held HSU to just four made buckets in the second half holding them to 16% shooting in the four quarter. They held HSU to just eight points in the third and nine points in the fourth quarter.
NOTES
- Mallory Stephens scored 10+ points for the sixth time this year. She also grabbed a season-high seven rebounds.
- Mollie Dittmar had a season-high 10 rebounds
- Emma Stelzer, Bridget Upton, Hanna Hudson, and Mallory Stephens were all 2-of-2 from the free throw line.
- Taylor Singleton recorded a career-high 12 rebounds
- It is the 10th time this year to hold an opponent to single digits in a quarter out of 14 games
- This is the fourth game this year that ETBU has held their opponent to under 10 points in two quarers in a game. They also did it to Emory, Ferrum, and Howard Payne.
- For the 11th time in 14 games, ETBU out rebounded their opponent and was +14 vs. HSU
- ETBU is now 2-1 in Top 25 games this year taking both Top 20 match ups vs. HSU.
UP NEXT
ETBU will stay in Abilene, Texas, and face McMurry University on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in Kimbrell Arena. McM is still winless on the year and ETBU won 77-33 in the first match up in December. ETBU has won the last eight meetings as McM last won on December 3, 2016, 63-51.
