MARSHALL, Texas – The cool weather in East Texas hit Ornelas Gym on Thursday night as East Texas Baptist University's shooting went cold as they fell to McMurry University, 56-53. ETBU is now 1-6 on the year and 0-1 in the American Southwest Conference.
 
Jayla Hall and Hannah Ayala combined to make 11 of ETBU's 19 buckets on the night. Hall finished with a career-high 19 points with six rebounds going 7-of-11 from the floor. Ayala collected her first double-double with career-highs of 11 points and 12 rebounds. McMurry's Emily Holland led all scorers with 21 points.
 
ETBU finished shooting 25 percent (19-of-76) and went 2-of-26 (7 percent) from the three-point line while shooting just 46 percent at the stripe (13-of-28). McMurry didn't shoot much better hitting just 27 percent from the floor, 25 percent from the arc (7-of-28), and went 19-of-25 from the line (76 percent). ETBU did out rebound McMurry, 60-45, but turned the ball over 24 times that went for 14 Warhawk points.
 
The tight-knit game came down to the final 30 seconds as ETBU had chances to tie the game. In the final 17 seconds, ETBU missed two three-pointers and a lay up as they trailed by three, 56-53. McMurry was up, 47-40, with 5:32 to play when ETBU went on a 7-0 run to tie the game. Hall had four of the seven points in the run as Payton Hicks made a free throw and Ayala posted up a bank shot for the tie at 3:55. Just 15 seconds later, Ayala blocked a shot but ETBU couldn't convert on the other end to take the lead. McMurry hit two free throws 40 seconds later for the two-point lead but Hall tied the game at 49 with 2:49 left. McM converted again 50 seconds later but with 1:10 left in the game Hall once again tied it at 51 on a jumper. McMurry canned a three-pointer 30 seconds later for the three-point advantage, 54-51. ETBU tried to tie the game but missed a three-pointer (00:36). Ayala grabbed a defensive rebound 11 seconds later and then pulled ETBU within one, 54-53, on a layup with 21 seconds left. ETBU fouled McMurry with 17 seconds left as they made both free throws (56-53) as the Tigers couldn't find the bottom of the net in the final seconds to tie the game. The fourth quarter was ETBU's best shooting quarter at 35 percent but they went 0-for-8 from the arc and didn't make a three-pointer the entire second half.
 
Coming out of the half, McMurry had a one-point lead, 26-25, and by the 4:26 mark extended it to 11 points, 38-27, on a 12-2 run. ETBU outscored McMurry, 9-2 in the final four minutes to pull within four, 40-36, heading into the fourth as Hall had seven of the nine points in the run.
 
The first half was just as close as the second half. ETBU opened up with a 4-0 lead on two buckets by Hannah Matthews. McM battled back for a one-point lead, 5-4, but two Ashlynn Galvin jump shots in 30 seconds gave ETBU an 8-5 lead at the 4:49 mark. McM scored the next seven points for a 12-8 advantage and made it 14-11 with 1:22 left in quarter. Neither team made a shot in the final minute as the Warhawks held onto the three-point lead.
 
McM started the second half on a three-pointer for a 17-11 lead just four seconds in. With 7:18 left, McM controlled the game with a five-point lead, 20-15. In the next two and half minutes, ETBU answered with an 8-0 run for a three-point lead, 23-20. Ayala started the run on a three-point play and then Tiffany Bickford hit one of ETBU's two three-pointers in the half to take the lead, 21-20, at 6:17. At the 4:45 mark, Bickford made two free throws for the 23-20 lead. Kadia Ward kept ETBU in front, 25-23, on a free throw with 2:45 left but McM made two free throws with 1:25 to go to tie the game at 25. McM then converted one free throw with four seconds left before halftime for a one-point lead, 26-25.
 
ETBU will host #9 Hardin-Simmons University on Saturday, December 2, at 1:00 p.m. in Ornelas Gym.