ABILENE, Texas – Hot shooting East Texas Baptist University (no. 5 seed) kept their season alive coming away with a road victory over McMurry University (no. 4 seed), 66-53, in the American Southwest Conference Tournament first round. It is the seventh straight year that ETBU has won their opening game in the ASC Tournament and fourth straight under Blake Arbogast.
 
ETBU shot 53 percent from the floor in the second and third quarter and 67 percent from the three-point line in the first half. Overall, ETBU finished shooting 43 percent from the floor and arc and 60 percent from the line. McMurry finished shooting just 30 percent, 29 percent from the three-point line, and 81 percent in free throws. ETBU also out rebounded McM, 37-26, forcing 16 turnovers and scoring 36 points in the paint.
 
Payton Hicks led the team with 17 points adding four assists, three rebounds, and three steals with two three-pointers. Jayla Hall followed with 11 points and Michaela James recorded her fourth straight double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Emily Holland led McM with 12 points.
 
A big part of the game came from ETBU's defense holding McM to just nine points in the second quarter and just 16 percent shooting. McM made just two shots from the floor in that quarter and just five in the entire first half.
 
It was a close first half as ETBU held onto a one-point advantage, 15-14. Both teams traded three-pointers early as McM took an 8-5 lead at 8:00 but James answered at 6:51 to tie the game at eight. With five minutes left in the quarter, McM took a 12-11 lead on a jumper and had a three-point advantage, 14-11, with three minutes left. It was almost five minutes before ETBU scored their last bucket in the game with Hall had a layup with 49 seconds left to pull within one, 14-13. She followed that 40 seconds later to give ETBU a one-point lead, 15-14, at the end of the quarter.
 
ETBU made their stand in the second quarter scoring 18 points and holding McM to just nine points and two buckets made. ETBU made 53 percent of their shots as they extended their lead to 10 points at the half, 33-23. Hall started the quarter with a layup for a three-point lead but by the 5:36 mark McM had a three-point lead, 20-17. ETBU answered with a 8-0 run over two minutes for a five-point lead, 25-20, when Hannah Ayala made a free throw. Two free throws by McM cut the lead to three, 25-22, but ETBU finished the final three minutes on an 8-1 run. Sara Cowan started the run with a three-pointer as Hall finished off the run with a layup for the 10-point lead, 33-23.
 
Scoring 20 points in third quarter, ETBU had a 15-point lead in the quarter. McM was within nine, 34-25, but two and half minutes later the lead was at 14, 41-27, when Hicks made two free throws. Hannah Matthews had back-to-back layups at 3:13 and 2:42 to keep at 13, 48-35. Ashlynn Galvin put ETBU up by 15 points, 53-38, with a three-pointer at 17 seconds before McM hit two free throws to end the quarter trailing, 53-40.
 
Within the first three and half minutes of the fourth quarter, ETBU took a 20-point lead, 63-43, on a James three-pointer on a 10-3 run. ETBU didn't score a point for over six minutes following that lead as McM went on a 10-0 run to come within 10 points, 63-53. Tristan Smith made a layup with 29 seconds left to finish off the scoring as ETBU took the game, 66-53.
 
ETBU will take on top seeded Hardin-Simmons University on Friday in the ASC Tournament semi-finals.