The Tigers (8-9, 8-6 in the ASC) led 67-53 on a jumper by Chris Isom with just over seven minutes remaining and never trailed in the contest after the 16:30 mark of the second half. It was enough to help ETBU snap a three-game losing streak and pull back to within a game of .500 on the season.
LeTourneau falls to 6-10 and 5-9. Both teams entered the contest looking to improve their playoff position in the ASC East, with ETBU holding the third of four playoff spots up for grabs entering play Tuesday. The YellowJackets were just on the edge of the playoff picture, trailing Texas-Dallas for the final playoff spot in the division.
Isom led all scorers with 22 points and 12 rebounds, shooting 9 of 13 from the floor. His twin brother, All-American Cedric Isom, was hampered again by an off night offensively with just 9 points on 2 of 10 from the field. But Cedric Isom did manage to dish out 6 assists and was a big 5 of 7 from the free-throw line as well as helping spearhead a Tiger defensive effort that forced 26 LeTourneau turnovers.
Sophomore guard Cory Cooper picked up the scoring slack, however, with a career-high 16 points on perfect 6 of 6 shooting. Michael Keys came off the bench to add 14 points in the post.
Dusty Evers led LeTourneau with 18 points, with Dewones Smith chipping in 15.
ETBU took control of the game in the first half, jumping out to a 21-12 lead by the seven-minute mark. The Tigers built their lead on the strength of the defensive effort, holding LeTourneau scoreless over a five-minute period. The YellowJackets closed the period on a 17-11 run to make it 32-29 at the break.
LeTourneau took its first lead of the second half on a 3-pointer by Marcus Coleman with 17:22 remaining in the game, but the Tigers grabbed the lead right back on the next trip down the floor on Chris Isom’s 3-pointer. Travis Bankett hit two free throws for the ‘Jackets moments later to give LeTourneau another lead at 40-39.
It would be LeTourneau’s last lead, however. Cooper hit a jumper and then converted a layup off a steal to give ETBU a 43-40 lead. That kick-started 24-13 run by the Tigers over the next 10 minutes and enabled ETBU to head down the stretch with a 67-53 lead at the 7:06 mark.
But LeTourneau jumped right back into the game on its next trip, getting a five-point play on a 3-pointer by Evers and two free throws by Coleman. Bankett’s 3-pointer moments later had the lead down to 6, 67-61, with 6:23 remaining.
Melvin Allen bumped it back to an 8-point lead with a dunk off Cedric Isom’s pass, but a Casey Sitton 3-pointer made the score 69-64 with 5:55 remaining. From there, ETBU managed to hold off the ‘Jackets by holding a 12-9 advantage in the final five minutes.
Newspaper Box Score LeTourneau vs East Texas Baptist 1/24/06 7:30 at Marshall, TX/Ornelas Gymnasium At Marshall, TX/Ornelas Gymnasium EAST TEXAS BAPTIST 81, LETOURNEAU 73 LETOURNEAU (6-10, 5-9) Dusty Evers 8-13 0-5 18; Dewones Smith 5-8 3-4 15; Travis Bankett 3-7 4-5 11; Marcus Coleman 2-6 2-2 7; Joe Packard 2-2 1-2 5; Casey Sitton 2-3 0-0 5; Jay Burnett 2-7 0-0 4; Jacob Butler 2-3 0-0 4; Reese Lantrip 1-3 2-2 4. Totals 27-52 12-20 73. EAST TEXAS BAPTIST (8-9, 8-6) Chris Isom 9-13 3-5 22; Cory Cooper 6-6 3-5 15; Michael Keys 6-9 2-5 14; Cedric Isom 2-10 5-7 9; Melvin Allen 4-11 1-1 9; Rodney Calhoun 3-7 1-3 7; Bryan Whitmire 1-1 0-0 3; Brandon Palmer 1-5 0-0 2; Kris Ryan 0-1 0-0 0; Josey Kyle 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 32-67 15-26 81. LeTourneau 29 44 73 East Texas Baptist 32 49 81 3-point goals-LeTourneau 7-17 (Dusty Evers 2-3; Dewones Smith 2-4; Marcus Coleman 1-4; Casey Sitton 1-1; Travis Bankett 1-3; Jay Burnett 0-2), East Texas Baptist 2-8 (Chris Isom 1-2; Bryan Whitmire 1-1; Michael Keys 0-1; Rodney Calhoun 0-2; Brandon Palmer 0-1; Kris Ryan 0-1). Fouled out--LeTourneau-None, East Texas Baptist-None. Rebounds-LeTourneau 36 (Dusty Evers 5; Jay Burnett 5), East Texas Baptist 37 (Chris Isom 12). Assists-LeTourneau 15 (Travis Bankett 5), East Texas Baptist 16 (Cedric Isom 6). Total fouls-LeTourneau 23, East Texas Baptist 19. A-908