MARSHALL, Texas – Not allowing Centenary College to make any three-pointers, East Texas Baptist University ran away with an 85-58 victory over the Ladies. ETBU is now 7-1 and won four games in a row.
 
Madison Hurta hit three three-pointers for 13 points with two blocks to lead the team. Macey Jones added nine points and five rebounds, Jayla Hall had eight points, and Tiffany Bickford scored eight and five rebounds. Payton Hicks gained six points with six assists.
 
ETBU finished shooting 48 percent with a whopping 71 percent in the third quarter. They also canned 11 three-pointers for 44 percent and went 20-of-24 at the line (83 percent). Centenary was held to 25 percent shooting, zero percent from the arc (0-for-13), and was 26-of-32 from the free throw line. ETBU also won the rebounding battle, 40-37, and scored 22 points off of 20 Ladies turnovers.
 
The first quarter was the closest, as Centenary tied the game at seven with 7:33 left. At the 5:01 mark, ETBU had just a two-point lead, 13-11, and with 3:14 to go, it was still a two-point game, 15-13. ETBU finished the quarter on a 7-1 run for an eight-point lead, 22-14. Hicks put ETBU up by nine, 22-13, before CC had a free throw before the quarter ended.
 
ETBU held CC to just 10 points in the second quarter for a 17-point lead at the half, 41-24. CC kept it close in the first five minutes of the quarter and was within nine, 31-22, with 4:25 left. In just over two minutes, ETBU went on a 10-0 run for a 19-point lead, 41-22. Hurta had five of the 10 points, and Kadia Ward added a three-pointer. CC hit two free throws before halftime to come within 17.
 
Defense was the key in the second half as ETBU shut CC down allowing just two buckets made and a nine-percent shooting percentage. ETBU then shot 71 percent scoring 29 points for a 31-point lead, 70-39 at the end of the period. CC didn't make a basket in the final five minutes of the period as Jones finished an and-1 for a 31-point lead, 65-34, with 2:05 left. Quinn Riddle hit a three-pointer with 17 seconds to go for the 31-point lead at the end of the quarter.
 
CC did outscore ETBU in the fourth quarter, 19-15. At 4:26, Marley Keith completed an and-1 for ETBU's largest lead of 32 points, 79-47. Skyler Smith kept the lead at 32, 85-53, making ETBU's final basket with 1:45 left in the game as the Tigers won, 85-58.
 
ETBU will take on St. Thomas Texas on Tuesday in Ornelas Gym at 5:00 p.m.