The Tigers, who had not beaten the Indians since head coach Bert West returned to the ETBU bench in 2000-01, got 25 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists from ASC East Division Preseason Player of the Year Cedric Isom and another big 24 points from Calhoun off the bench on the way to a hard-fought 81-75 win over McMurry Thursday in packed Ornelas Gymnasium.
The victory evens ETBU’s season mark to 2-2 and increases the Tigers’ ASC record to 2-1.
McMurry falls to 3-2 and 2-1.
“We beat a very good basketball team tonight,” said a drained West following the contest. “They were big, strong, quick and athletic. But our guys came out with a lot of energy and just kept battling. If we continue to get that kind of effort, we’re going to continue to improve every time out.”
The Tigers needed every bit of scoring they could muster from the backcourt, as McMurry center Travis Tennison owned the paint Thursday. Tennison pumped in 29 points and ripped down 10 rebounds to lead the Indians in both categories, but he was only 5-of-10 from the free-throw line.
In fact, the Indians probably would have outlasted the Tigers Thursday except for a dismal 15-of-31 performance from the charity stripe as a team.
McMurry built a five-point lead, 33-28, at halftime and kept the Tigers at bay until midway through the second half. ETBU took its first lead since early in the first half with 14 minutes remaining in the game on a jumper by Calhoun that gave the Tigers a 46-44 lead. The two teams traded baskets and the lead over the next eight minutes until ETBU overcame its final deficit of the game with a basket by Joe Mumphrey at the 6:41 mark that gave the Tigers a 58-57 lead they would not relinquish.
The Tigers went on a 7-0 run at that point to take a seven-point lead, 65-58, with 4:10 remaining. Chris Isom, who picked up his fourth foul of the game just a couple of minutes into the second half but stayed in the lineup throughout the second half, drilled 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to give the Tigers the win.
Chris Isom, who entered the game as the leading scorer in the ASC, finished with just 15 points but most of those came at clutch time down the stretch. Cedric Isom was 9-of-13 from the field and is now averaging a double-double on the season through four games – 24 points and 10 rebounds per game.
Calhoun had his career-best night with the Tigers, shooting 9-of-18 from the field and 4-of-8 from beyond the 3-point line. Calhoun’s 24 points came in just 21 minutes of action.
No other Tiger scored more than freshman Jeremiah Pojah’s seven points.
Tennison was the only McMurry player to reach double figures, with J. R. Williams and Terence Mirabal each finishing with nine points. The Indians did crash the glass, picking up 17 offensive rebounds on the way to 45 total boards.
ETBU countered with 45 boards as well, and the Tigers were 15-of-21 from the free throw line while shooting 45 percent (30-of-67) from the field.
ETBU returns to action Saturday at 3 p.m., hosting Hardin-Simmons in what is an early key matchup for the Tigers in conference play. The contest will be the final conference home game for the Tigers until they host Concordia-Austin on Jan. 6 following the Christmas break.
McMurry continues its swing through East Texas with a matchup at LeTourneau in Longview.