CLARKSVILLE, Ark. – Taking control from the beginning of the game, East Texas Baptist University ran to an 87-70 win over the University of the Ozarks in American Southwest Conference play. ETBU made 10 three-pointers and took an 8-0 lead to start the game. They are now 19-5 overall and 13-4 in the ASC.
 
Ryan Elzy set a new career-high with 21 points leading the team going 9-of-12 from the floor and making three three-pointers. Darry Moore finished with 20 points and now has scored 20 or more points in 16 games this year including the last six. Aaron Gregg was one assist shy of another triple-double with 18 points, 13 rebounds, and nine assists and Kevin Charles added 10 points with three blocks. Both Kamren Roelke and Grayson Nix had 17 points for Ozarks.
 
ETBU shot 59 percent from the floor and 55 percent from the arc scoring 44 points in the paint. UO finished making 43 percent from the floor and 41 percent from the arc. ETBU dominated the boards, too, 36-20, and forced 11 turnovers with six steals.
 
Elzy scored four of the first eight points as ETBU jumped out to an eight-point lead in the first three minutes of the game. UO scored the next five points to come within three but by 11:21, Charles hit a three-pointer for an ETBU lead of 13, 21-8. By 8:49, UO came back to within six points, 23-17, but a 7-2 run in two minutes put ETBU back up by 11, 30-19, as Moore finished on a layup. UO wouldn't go away and answered for a third time in the half, once again, coming to within six, 30-24, with 4:47 left to go. ETBU finished the last four minutes of the half on a 13-4 run to take a 15-piont lead at the half, 43-28, as Gregg had a layup for the largest lead of the game to that point.
 
Three minutes into the second half, ETBU moved their lead to 17 points, 50-33, on a dunk by Moore. At 16:09, Elzy made a three-pointer for an 18-point lead, 53-35. Six minute later, UO had ETBU's lead down to 11, 57-46. ETBU moved the lead to 16 points, three different times, and then a Michael Roberts jumper with 33 seconds left gave the Tigers their largest lead of 19, 87-68. UO made to free throws with 14 seconds left in the game to make it an 87-70 final.
 
ETBU heads to Richardson, Texas, on Saturday for their final regular season game of the year facing ASC leader Texas Dallas at 3:00 p.m.