MARSHALL, Texas – Four out of the last five seasons, East Texas Baptist University has entered the American Southwest Conference Tournament Championship as the #2 seed. This year is no different as they head to Abilene, Texas, for a semi-final game against #3 seed Mary Hardin-Baylor. This is the sixth straight ASC Tournament that ETBU has made which is a program best.
ETBU finished the regular season tied for second in the ASC at 13-5 with UMHB but earned the tiebreaker with a sweep of the Crusaders. The two teams will meet again for a third time in the semi-final game in Abilene, Texas, hosted by #1 seed Hardin-Simmons University.
UMHB is no stranger to ETBU in the post season the past six years playing each other four times. ETBU won the first meeting in 2018 in the ASC Championship game but has fallen the last three times they have met. Since 2017-18, the two teams have met 13 times as ETBU is 6-7 in that time. This season, though, ETBU has won both meetings as each game has been decided by seven points or less.
ETBU has now made six straight ASC Tournaments and played for two championships winning their first-ever in 2017-18. Overall, ETBU is 11-12 in the ASC Tournament in 13 appearances and 8-4 in the past five years. ETBU's success the past five years have come under both Rusty Rainbolt and
Blake Arbogast as before 2017-18, ETBU had only won three tournament games.
Overall, ETBU is 19-6 and will be playing for their sixth straight 20+ win season. ETBU is also #4 in the recent NCAA Division III Region 10 Poll and receiving votes in the D3hoops.com national poll.
Heading into the ASC Tournament,
Bridget Upton has been the leading scorer at 11.3 points per game.
Mollie Dittmar is averaging 9.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
Jayla Hall had a breakout game vs. Texas Dallas last Saturday with a career-high 16 points as
Kenidi White had 10 points. In the win over Ozarks,
Brooke Webster led with 13 points while
Alexis Purcell had 11 points.
ETBU is second in the ASC for defense giving up just 57.2 points per game and fourth in scoring at 68.9 points per game. They are also second in field goal percentage (.420), three-point percentage (.333), free throw percentage (.732), and third in three-point field goals made (5.8).
The 2022-23 team has a lot of post-season experience as eight players have played the past three years. Dittmar, White, Upton, Webster, and
Kaia Williams all played on the 25-1 team in 2020-21 with the perfect regular season and were ASC Tournament runners-up. Last year, they won their first-round NCAA Division III Tournament game and went 1-1 in the ASC Tournament.
Chloe Rogers,
Erin Berry, and
Lindsey Schale also played in the NCAA Tournament last year.
ETBU will face off vs. UMHB at 5:00 p.m. on Friday in Abilene, Texas, at Hardin-Simmons University.
Post Season vs. UMHB Since 2017-18
NCAA Tournament | 2022 | UMHB 75, ETBU 57 – Second Round
ASC Tournament | 2021 | UMHB 75, ETBU 72 – ASC Championship
ASC Tournament | 2020 | UMHB 67, ETBU 50 – Semi-Finals
ASC Tournament | 2018 | ETBU 71, UMHB 70 – ASC Championship
