MARSHALL, Texas – Scoring 52 points in the second half, East Texas Baptist University shot 66 from the arc as they held off a late run by Pacific University, 84-72. ETBU is now 3-6 on the year.
 
Darry Moore led the way with a double-double producing 26 points and 12 rebounds making 11 shots from the floor. Jayden Williams followed with 18 points, five assists, and five rebounds going 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Joshua R Davis added 13 points making three three-pointers. Pacific had three players in double figures as Devin Fortune led with 22 points.
 
Pacific outshot ETBU, 50 percent to 48 percent, but the Tigers canned eight three-pointers for 44 percent to just the Boxers' four three pointes (23 percent). ETBU went 22-of-29 from the line (75 percent) while Pacific made 8-of-12 for 66 percent. ETBU out rebounded Pacific, 34-30, but the Boxers forced 15 turnovers for 20 points.
 
Pacific shot 53 percent in the first half to take a three-point halftime lead, 35-32. ETBU went 2-of-9 from three-point range and had just 11 made baskets (39 percent) in the first half. The two teams battled back and forth the entire half as Ryan Elzy gave ETBU their first lead, 6-4, on a layup at the 17:06 mark. Williams made his first three-pointer of the game at 14:07 for a one-point lead, 9-8, but by the 11:03 mark Pacific had a four-point lead, 14-10. In a minute, ETBU scored five straight points with a Williams three-pointer and Moore layup for a 15-14 lead. By the 5:26 mark, Pacific built a seven-point lead, 26-19, on a 12-4 run in five minutes. Moore brought the lead down to two, 28-26, on another layup with 3:07 left and Jaden Conner swooshed in two free throws at the 2:05 mark making it a one-point game, 31-30. After a Pacific bucket for a three-point lead, Williams connected on two free throws to bring the lead to one, again, 33-32, with 32 seconds left but Pacific hit a shot six seconds later for the three-point halftime lead, 35-32.
 
Elzy started the second half with a gigantic three-pointer to tie the game at 35 just 17 seconds in. Pacific came back to take a one-point lead, 41-40, at 17:13 but ETBU responded over the next four minutes on a 13-2 run for a 10-point lead, 53-43. Davis started the run with a three-pointer and Christian Dews ended the run with a jumper for the 10-point lead. Pacific hit a three-pointer at 13:04 to pull within seven, 53-46, but another ETBU run changed momentum in favor of the Tigers. In the next three and half minutes, ETBU had a 13-1 run for a 19-point advantage, 66-47, with 9:40 remaining. Conner had four points in the run and a Davis three-pointer gave ETBU the 19-point lead. ETBU kept their distance over the next seven minutes but Pacific mounted a comeback to bring the lead down to eight, 73-65, with 2:57 left in the game. With just under a minute to play, the Boxers were within seven, 75-68, but ETBU went 7-of-8 from the free throw line and ended the game on a fast break dunk to Moore from Kurt Labeaud for the 12-point win, 84-72.
 
ETBU will play next in the Don Lane Classic in Kentucky on Thursday, Dec. 21, against Baldwin Wallace University.