LONGVIEW, Texas – Never giving up the lead in the game, East Texas Baptist University won their fourth straight game with a 68-48 road victory over LeTourneau University. ETBU is now 10-11 overall and 7-6 in the ASC. With only one tie at 2-2, ETBU led from the beginning and held LETU to just one three-pointer made.
 
Three players scored in double figures as Jayla Hall had 14 points on 50 percent shooting with six rebounds. Payton Hicks and Hannah Matthews both added 10 points. Kadia Ward gave eight points and led the team with seven rebounds. Mariana Espinosa led LETU with 11 points.
 
Making four three-pointers for 25 percent, ETBU shot 33 percent overall and was 24-of-35 from the line (68 percent). LETU shot 30 percent, overall, and went 15-of-16 from the line but made one three-pointer (nine percent). ETBU out rebounded LETU, 41-36, and forced 22 turnovers for 20 points.
 
Hall hit the opening bucket at 9:34 with LETU tying the game at two at 7:27. Just over three minutes later, ETBU had a 12-point lead, 14-2, on a 12-0 run. Four different players scored in the run as Ward had five of the points with one three-pointer. LETU cut the lead to seven, 18-11, with 1:13 left and Michaela James hit two free throws to end the quarter for an 11-point lead, 22-11.
 
LETU made a dent in ETBU's lead in the second quarter outscoring the, 16-11. Hall, though, gave ETBU a 14-point lead to start the quarter on a three-point play, 24-11. Six minutes later, LETU crept back into the game coming within seven, 28-21, at 4:04. Hicks hit two free throws at 1:11 for an eight-point lead, but LETU answered 11 seconds later to pull within six, 33-27, at the half.
 
Battling hard in the first two minutes of the third quarter, LETU dwindled ETBU's lead down to three, 37-34, with 8:02 to go. At the 6:27 mark, ETBU still held a three-point lead, 39-36, but that is as close as LETU would come the rest of the game. ETBU went on a 7-0 run for a 10-point lead, 46-36, at 4:06 on a Sara Cowan layup. LETU hit two free throws at 3:11 to be within eight, 46-38, but ETBU ended the quarter on a 9-0 run for a 17-point lead, 55-38. Tiffany Bickford nailed a three-pointer with seven seconds left for the big lead.
 
Two free throws at 8:19 cut ETBU's lead to 15, 59-44, but James hit another jumper at 8:05 to make it 61-44. Almost three minutes went by before anyone hit a shot. Hicks broke the scoring drought with a free throw at 5:23 to make it 62-44. Matthews gave ETBU their first 20-point lead, 64-44, at 5:08 on a layup as both teams scored just four points each in the final five minutes for the 68-48 final.
 
ETBU is off on Saturday and will travel to Brownwood, Texas, on Thursday, February 8, to face Howard Payne at 5:30 p.m.