MARSHALL, Texas – Starting the New Year with excitement, East Texas Baptist University banked in the winning shot as time expired for a 51-49 win over Millsaps College. Payton Hicks found Hannah Ayala open for the game-winning shot as ETBU moved to 11-3 on the year. Millsaps, who is picked to win the SAA for the second year in a row, was a 2024 NCAA Division III Tournament participant after winning their conference tournament.
 
Hicks was 5-of-6 from the free throw line finishing with 11 points, four assists and four rebounds. Madison Hurta followed with 10 points and six rebounds, and Ayala added 10 and seven rebounds. Kadia Ward led the team with eight rebounds, adding four assists and five points. Hannah Matthews also had eight rebounds with six points.
 
ETBU shot only 24 percent, making just 17 percent from the arc, but went 16-of-17 from the line. Millsaps finished shooting 31 percent, was 3-of-15 from three-point range, and 66 percent from the foul line. ETBU outrebounded Millsaps, 51-42.
 
Overcoming a 16-point second-quarter deficit, ETBU's best half came in the third and fourth quarters. After MC shot over 40 percent in the first half, ETBU held the Majors to just over 20 percent in the second half (8-of-32), and only one three-pointer was made. Hicks cut the Majors lead to two with a three-pointer to end the third quarter, 41-39. Hurta put ETBU back in front for the first time since 2:07 in the first quarter, canning a three-pointer to start the fourth period, 42-41. Matthews then put ETBU up by three, 44-41, on a layup, but by the 3:37 mark, Millsaps had a two-point lead, 49-47. Ward grabbed a defensive rebound with 1:44 left, getting it out to Hurta and converting a fast break to tie the game at 49 with 1:39 left. Millsaps missed a three-pointer at 1:13 and turned the ball over after the offensive rebound with 52 seconds left on a Hurta steal. ETBU, though, gave the ball back to Millsaps on a turnover with 22 seconds remaining. The Majors took a last-second shot with three seconds to go missing the layup as Hicks grabbed the rebound and called the time out with 00:00.3 left.
 
Head coach Blake Arbogast drew up a play as Hicks lofted the ball into Ayala for the last-second bank-in shot and the victory, 51-49.
 
ETBU was down as many as seven in the third quarter, 34-27, and 41-34, but battled back to come within two at the end of the quarter.
 
Millsaps shot well in the first half, making over 40 percent of their shots. ETBU jumped out early with a five-point lead, 7-2, but by the 3:08 mark, Millsaps had a two-point lead, 11-9. Hicks hit a three-pointer at 2:07 to regain the lead, 12-11, but the Majors finished on a 6-0 run for a five-point lead. Millsaps hit a shot early for an eight-point lead, but two Ayala free throws put ETBU within six, 20-14, with 8:02 in the second quarter. Over the next five minutes, Millsaps went on a 12-2 run for a 16-point lead, 32-16. In the final three minutes of the second quarter, ETBU didn't allow Millsaps to make a shot as they answered with an 8-0 run to pull within eight, 32-24 at the half.
 
The win puts ETBU at 11-3 for the second most wins this year behind Hardin-Simmons University's 13 wins.
 
ETBU will host UC Santa Cruz on Sunday, January 5, at 11:00 a.m. in Ornelas Gym.