LeTourneau University Hosts ASC Conference

ASC Conference

We are very excited to be hosting the ASC Conference for the first time in school history here at LeTourneau University.

Teams that have locked in their spot:
LeTourneau – East Division 1st Seed
UT Tyler – East Division 2nd Seed
UT Dallas – East Division 3rd Seed
ETBU – East Division 4th Seed
Hardin-Simmons – West Division 1st or 2nd Seed
Concordia, TX – West Division 1st or 2nd Seed
UMHB – West Division 3rd Seed

Howard Payne and Sul Ross will play on Saturday to determine the final team in the field.

MEN’S BASKETBALL

LETU men’s basketball earned their 19th win of the season and clinched sole possession of their first-ever regular season division title in school history. The 71-64 victory over UT-Dallas ties a program-record for most wins in a season. The 1971-72 YellowJacket squad finished 19-10 competing in the NCCAA.

The YellowJackets hadn’t won in Richardson since February 2003, but, LETU has made a habit of breaking history all season long. LeTourneau is now 11-4 in conference play and will host the ASC Conference Tournament beginning next Thursday, February 23rdthrough February 25th. This is the first time any YellowJacket team has hosted a conference tournament.

“I am really proud of the team for winning the first ASC regular-season championship for LETU men’s basketball and tying the school record for wins in a season,” said head Coach Dan Miller<http://letuathletics.com/coaches.aspx?rc=436>. “We feel like we still have goals left to accomplish and are excited to get back to work.”

Junior Alec Colhoff<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3307> led the way for LeTourneau recording his seventh 20-point performance of the season as he shot 5-of-8 from long range on the way to game-high 23 points. Colhoff is 12th in the conference in scoring at 16 points per game.

Caleb Loggins<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3310> had yet another efficient game scoring 16 points at an 8-of-10 clip from the field. The sophomore forward is shooting .649 percent from the floor on the season, averaging 11 points per contest.

They were joined in the scoring column by Jeff Martin<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3311>, Nate West<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3318>, and Christian Seidl<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3315> who each had eight points in a balanced effort.

Martin also dished out eight assists and grabbed seven rebounds. The senior point guard is first in the ASC in assist-to-turnover ratio and 13th in NCAA Division III at 3.3. LeTourneau is ranked first in the nation as a team at 1.8 assists per turnover.

Despite being outrebounded 36-40 and committing an uncharacteristic 15 turnovers, The YellowJackets pulled away from the Comets late in the second half with timely three-pointers and defensive stops.

“I am really proud of the guys for showing toughness and grit tonight,” said Miller. “We didn’t play the cleanest or prettiest game of the season but we made the tough plays to pull out a road victory.”

The first half saw runs by each squad with LeTourneau taking their largest lead of the half on a Colhoff three-pointer at the 6:09 mark putting LETU up 34-26. UT Dallas would respond cutting the lead to just two at the halftime break.

The YellowJackets would never trail in the second half but the Comets would keep things close tying the game on three occasions. After a Dimitrius Underwood free-throw for UTD, LeTourneau rattled off seven-straight points to take a 51-44 lead at the 10:46 mark.

UT Dallas cut the lead to five once again with 2:51 remaining, Alec Colhoff<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3307> hit a game three-pointer to end the Comet run and give LETU a comfortable cushion to finish off the victory.

“We have played really good defense in our last two road games and that is going to be a key for success in the postseason,” said Miller.

LeTourneau will look to set the school-record for wins in a season on Saturday as they wrap up the regular season at University of the Ozarks in Clarksville. The Eagles will look to play the spoiler as they come into the game with an 8-16 record. UO defeated UT Tyler on Thursday night to earn their second ASC win now sitting at 2-13 in conference play. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m. on Saturday.

[niversity of the Ozarks logo] Next Game:
at University of the Ozarks
2/18/2017 – 3 p.m.
Live Stats<http://www.uofoathletics.com/sports/mbkb/2016-17/boxscores/20170218_pz49.xml>
Watch Live<http://www.uofoathletics.com/links/65sfmr>

* FULL SCHEDULE<http://letuathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball>
* ROSTER<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball>

 

UT-DALLAS THURSDAY

 

LeTourneau held tight for three-quarters but a 22-12 final period would be the difference as the YellowJackets fell 81-64 to No. 25-ranked UT Dallas in Richardson on Thursday night.

After a Jada Roberts<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3373> 3-pointer in the first minute of the fourth quarter, LETU had cut the lead to 56-59. UTD would fire back with a 17-4 run to overpower the YellowJackets who shot just .387 percent in the second half.

LeTourneau was outrebounded 30-46 with the Comets scoring 20 points off their 16 offensive rebounds. The YellowJackets forced 13 UTD turnovers and converted that into 16 points in the game.

LaTanya Drakes<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3364> and Crystal Jones<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3367> each finished with 17 points. Drakes also pulled down eight rebounds. Jones grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists. Bria Goodman<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=3365> scored nine points to go along with three assists of her own.

The YellowJackets led by four early in the game on a Goodman fast-break layup. After a back-and-forth first quarter, the Comets held an 18-21 lead.

LETU would battle back from a seven-point deficit in the second quarter to take a 29-28 lead at the 5:03 mark. UTD would go into the break with a four-point advantage, 35-39.

A Jones jumper in the third quarter would cut the lead to just one with 2:05 remaining. That is the closest LeTourneau would get as the Comet offense was efficient shooting .529 percent from the floor in the final period.

With just one game remaining, LETU has sealed their third seed in the ASC East Division. For the second consecutive season, and the fourth time in program history, LeTourneau will participate in the ASC Conference Tournament. Howard Payne will be the host of this year’s tournament as they clinched the West Division title.

The YellowJackets will look to finish the regular season on a positive trend as they make the trip to Clarksville, Arkansas on Saturday to take on University of the Ozarks. The Eagles had their ASC tournament hopes dashed on Thursday with a loss to UT-Tyler. LETU won the first matchup of the series, 65-58 in Longview on January 12th. Tip-off is 1:00 p.m. on Saturday.
[niversity of the Ozarks logo] Next Game:
at University of the Ozarks
2/18/2017 – 1 p.m.
Live Stats<http://www.uofoathletics.com/sports/wbkb/2016-17/boxscores/20170218_bhh8.xml>
Watch Live<http://www.uofoathletics.com/links/65sfmr>

* FULL SCHEDULE<http://letuathletics.com/schedule.aspx?path=womensbasketball>
* ROSTER<http://letuathletics.com/roster.aspx?path=womensbasketball>