MARSHALL, Texas - Returning back to East Texas after being on the road for a week, the East Texas Baptist University women's basketball team will be taking on Texas Dallas and the University of the Ozarks in American Southwest Conference play. Over the break, the Tigers defeated #18 UC Santa Cruz and Howard Payne University but fell to Sul Ross State University in Alpine.
 
The Tigers are now 11-3 overall and 5-2 in the American Southwest Conference and receiving votes in the national poll. Playing their fourth nationally ranked team of the year, the Tigers won, 75-51, against #18 UCSC, shooting 54% overall, 47% for three-pointers, and 94% from the line. Taking down HPU, 92-56, in Brownwood, ETBU shot 54% overall, 43% beyond the arc, and 90% on the line. After nearly a week on the road, ETBU fell short to SRSU, 71-58, as they shot 31% overall and 73% from the free throw line. 
 
Leading the Tigers is Bridget Upton, Mollie Dittmar, and Kaia Williams. Upton, who was the December 19th ASC Player of the Week, leads the team in points with 161 averaging 11.5 per game. She also leads with 41 free throws made and field goal attempts (52). Upton is shooting 44% from the floor, 34% outside the arc, and 84% on the line. 
 
Leading the team in rebounds is Dittmar as she has 86 averaging 6.1 per game. She has 133 points averaging 9.5 per game. Against Sul Ross, she set a personal season record with three steals in a game. She is currently averaging 66% shooting overall and 78% on the line. 
 
Williams leads the team assists at 39 averaging 2.8 per game. She set a career high with seven rebounds against SRSU. She has recorded 18 steals this season averaging 1.3 per game. 
 
The Tigers will be playing UT Dallas on Thursday, January 12th, at 5:30 pm. The Comets are currently 8-6 overall, and 4-3 in the ASC. The two teams last played in January 2022, with ETBU came out victorious, 61-47. The Comets last won in November of 2021, 53-49. Leading UTD is Diane Hurst with 110 points, averaging 7.9 per game. Hurst also leads in field goals going 46-111, shooting 41%, as well as having 10 blocked shots this season. 
 
ETBU will then face University of the Ozarks on Saturday, January 14th at 1:00 pm. Ozarks currently has a 6-8 record overall and is 3-4 in the ASC. The Tigers have a nine-game winning streak against the Eagles defeating them last February, 69-46. Ozarks last defeated ETBU in February of 2017, 77-68. Leading the Eagles is Amanda Turpin with 185 points, averaging 13.2 per game. Turpin is shooting 70-174 overall, 40%, and 14-57 beyond the arc, 25%. 
 
This will be the first of four straight games in Ornelas Gym over the next two weeks.