LeTourneau University – Sports

ASC Release

RICHARDSON, Texas – The American Southwest Conference on its 2017 Fall All-Academic honor roll recognized 32 LeTourneau University student-athletes for their efforts in the classroom and on the field as a total of 590 student-athletes from 13 member institutions and two affiliate institutions. The teams, which were announced today by the ASC office, include the sports of men’s and women’s cross country, football, men’s and women’s soccer and volleyball.

For an individual to be eligible for the ASC All-Academic honors, student-athletes must be classified academically as a sophomore, junior, senior or graduate student during the competition season and have been in attendance and completed at least one academic year (two consecutive semesters) at their institution. They must also have a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) as certified at the conclusion of the academic semester in which the ASC sports championship held.

2017 ASC Fall All-Academic Teams

Men’s Cross Country
Name	Class	Major	Hometown
Austin Coblentz	Sr.	Mechanical Engineering	Stayton, Ore.
Michael Field	Jr.	Mechanical Engineering	Tega City, S.C.
Women’s Cross Country
Name	Class	Major	Hometown
Bridey Davis	Jr.	Kinesiology – Exercise Science	Boerne, Texas
Allison Fuller	So.	Biology	Crandall, Texas
Alexis Segura	So.	Kinesiology – Sport Management	Austin, Texas
Olivia Stine	Sr.	Political Science – National Security	Oakdale, Calif.
Men’s Soccer
Name	Class	Major	Hometown
Alan Flores	Sr.	Math – Applied Science	Longview, Texas
Jackson Frankfurt	So.	Computer Science Engineering	Hillsdale, Ill.
Zachariah Malik	So.	Business Administration	Austin, Texas
Gustavo Martinez	So.	Criminal Justice	Princeton, Texas
Drew Spencer	So.	Biology	Commercial Point, Ohio
David Trost	Jr.	Electrical Engineering	Stillwater, Okla.
Alec Wier	Jr.	Business Administration	Cypress, Texas
Women’s Soccer
Name	Class	Major	Hometown
Riley Blok	So.	Biology	Kyle, Texas
Gina De La Garza	So.	Business Administration	McAllen, Texas
Lexi Funk	So.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Lake Jackson, Texas
Sarah Harder	Jr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Pearland, Texas
Keely Hayden	Jr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Alvin, Texas
Tamara Martin	So.	Psychology	Spring, Texas
Cecilia Pichardo	So.	Computer Science	Fairfield, Calif.
Myranda Pierce	Jr.	Counseling Psychology	Sulphur Springs, Texas
Victoria Ratliff	Jr.	Psychology	Kyle, Texas
Stephanie Sammon	Jr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Anthem, Ariz.
Riley Scarborough	Sr.	Business Management	Austin, Texas
Alexis Segura	So.	Kinesiology – Sports Management	Austin, Texas
Melanie Shempert	So.	Mechanical Engineering Technology	Austin, Texas
Rebekah Stevenson	So.	Mechanical Engineering	Conroe, Texas
Volleyball
Name	Class	Major	Hometown
Audrey Galindo	So.	Pre-Nursing	Humble, Texas
Ashlyn Johnson	Jr.	Math – Finance	Lake Jackson, Texas
Savanna Stutts	Sr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Rockwall, Texas
Mikayla Thomas	So.	Biology	Kilgore, Texas
Korissa White	Sr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Topeka, Kan.
Liz Williams	Jr.	Interdisciplinary Studies	Bedford, Texas

MEN’S BASKETBALL

LONGVIEW, Texas – A 13-point halftime lead would be barely enough to hang on as the LeTourneau University men’s basketball team survived a scare from American Southwest Conference member Louisiana College by a final score of 78-77 at Solheim Arena on Saturday, January 20.

LETU picks up win 14 of the year to improve to 14-3 overall and 8-2 in the ASC while LC falls to 3-11 and 1-8 in the ASC with the loss.

“That was a hard-fought game, and to Louisiana College’s credit they played extremely hard and good tonight,” said head coach Dan Miller in a post-game interview. We have to learn from this game as we played too loose and complacent in the second half.” “If we want to accomplish our goals, we need to be locked in for 40 minutes and value the basketball better.” “I can’t wait to get to our next practice and work on things, but I am proud of the fight and togetherness in this team and know we will get it fixed.”

On a day where senior guard Alex Colhoff would score his 1,000th career point, they held LeTourneau to a 42.9 percent (27-of-63) shooting percentage just one game after setting an ASC record for field goal percentage in a game. Louisiana College finished the game at 51.7 percent (31-for-60) and hit seven of 15 threes (46.7 percent), but plagued by an 8-of-15 performance (53.3 percent) at the charity stripe. The 78 points would be the second-lowest scoring total that LeTourneau has posted all year, with the YellowJackets scoring a season-low 77 against Centenary College on November 25.

Colhoff’s 1,000th point would come with 7:09 left in the first half as the Katy, Texas native finished with 11 points to go along with five rebounds. Sophomore Nate West eclipsed his career-high set one week ago by finishing with 29 points and hitting five-of-six free throws, and also assisted on five buckets and had four steals. Junior Caleb Loggins led LETU defensively by recording two steals and one block to go along with seven rebounds and 10 points. Louisiana College was driven by a team-high 20 points from Lashard Powell, with 15 of the 20 coming in the second half.

It wouldn’t take long for LeTourneau to race out to a double-digit lead, opening the game on a 13-2 run which forced an LC timeout with just 4:13 into the game. A once 13-point lead for the YellowJackets would be cut to seven on a Devon Washington layup with 11:04 remaining in the first half as the Wildcats wouldn’t let LETU extend their lead to any more than 13 in half.

LeTourneau managed to extend their lead back to double-digits at 30-19 with 7:09 remaining in the period, but once again Louisiana College would come storming back by scoring two transition jumpers in 14 seconds as LETU became forced into a 2:54 scoring drought that cut the lead to seven. The YellowJackets would close the half out by outscoring LC 11-5 to take a 41-28 lead at intermission.

Following a three by senior Caylab Herrera to open up the second half, Louisiana College quickly showed that their record was not indicative of their fight and desire as the LeTourneau lead would be cut to single-digits for the final 13:42 of the game. Despite multiple efforts to keep the Wildcats at arm’s length heading into the back end of the second half, Louisiana College would use a 6-0 run over a 54-second span to get within four at 56-52 with 12:48 remaining and tied the game at 58-58 with 9:59 left in the second half.

West would answer the call from LC with a three to put LETU back up by a score of 61-58 with 8:23 remaining, but once again Louisiana College would tie the game with this occasion coming on an old-fashioned three-point play. It would appear that LeTourneau finally found a formula to pull away from LC following another West three with 2:41 left in the game to go up 76-67, but the Wildcats had other plans as five-straight points cut the lead back down to four with 92 seconds remaining. West would score the final two for LeTourneau with 1:28 remaining following a foul by Jaquez Coleman before seeing a layup and three-pointer fall as time expired with the game already decided for the Wildcats.

Eight more opportunities remain for the LeTourneau men’s basketball team as the front end of ASC East Divisional play wraps up next weekend. The YellowJackets will host The University of the Ozarks on January 25 with tip-off slated for 7:30 p.m.

 

JACKSON, Miss. – Shooting an American Southwest Conference record 75.8 percent from the field, the LeTourneau University men’s basketball team scored a season-high 115 points en route to a 115-88 road victory over Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi on Thursday, January 18.

LeTourneau bounces back with the victory to improve to 13-3 overall and 7-2 in the ASC while the Blazers slipped to 3-12 overall and 2-7 in conference.

“Our guys did a good job of moving the basketball tonight and looking inside-out,” said head coach Dan Miller in a post-game interview. “We challenged our posts to be high percentage finishers, and they responded.” “I was very pleased to see everyone be a willing passer and the energy and enthusiasm we played with on the road tonight.”

The 75.8 percent shooting percentage came on a 47-for-62 performance from the field and eclipsed the old record of 34-of-48 (70.8 percent) set by former ASC member Mississippi College on February 2nd, 2002. LETU was able to set the record despite shooting just 27.3 percent (3-11) from beyond the arc but made their living in the paint by scoring 78 points while leading by as many as 28 in the game.

Junior Caleb Loggins went nearly perfect from the field, finishing 10-of-11 while scoring a game-high 24 points which is just one shy of a career-high and dished out four assists while defensively recording one steal and one block. Christian Seidl had 18 points off the bench to go along with three assists while freshman Justin Moore netted 14 points. Senior Caylab Herrera also reached double-figures for the YellowJackets after scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds while being limited to just 20 minutes on the night. Isiah Brown who had 23 points led Belhaven.

An up-tempo pace early on would favor LETU, as the YellowJackets would find themselves able to jump out to a 10-5 lead at the first media timeout of the game with 15:50 left in the first half. LeTourneau would be able to extend their lead to a three-possession margin multiple times throughout the opening 10 minutes of the game, but a tough-minded Belhaven team managed to stick around and claim their first lead since the opening minute of the game at 29-26 with 7:30 left in the period. Another three for the Blazers with 4:29 left in the first half allowed BU to take their final lead of the game at 34-33 before LETU a 9-0 run gave LeTourneau a 42-34 lead going into the last two minutes of the half. Belhaven closed out the half with the final four points of the period to cut the gap to six at 46-40 at the break.

Out of intermission, LETU would expand their six-point halftime lead to take a 57-43 lead on a jumper by sophomore Nate West with 17:12 remaining in the game as the YellowJackets finally started to take the game over. The points would continually grow for LeTourneau reaching the 20-point mark on a Javaughn Dantzler jumper with just over 10 minutes in the game as LETU would keep things rolling all the way through the final horn. In total, 13 players for the YellowJackets wound up in the scoring column with all 14 players who suited up getting on the floor.

LETU will begin a three-game homestand on Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. by playing host to Louisiana College. The Wildcats are 3-11 overall and 1-8 in the ASC following a 79-91 loss at East Texas Baptist on Thursday night.

 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

LONGVIEW, Texas – Three players in double-figures would not be enough for the LeTourneau University women’s basketball team to come away with a home victory over Louisiana College, falling by a final score of 86-62 at Solheim Arena on Saturday, January 20.

LeTourneau now sits at 3-14 overall and 0-10 in the American Southwest Conference following today’s game while the Wildcats hold their position in the ASC East standings with a 9-7 record and 5-5 mark in the conference.

“As a young team we are still learning how important it is to value every possession and play hard for 40 minutes,” said head coach Cassi Rozanski in a post-game interview. “We will look at the film and do everything we can to improve areas that have hurt us and start preparing to defend our home court against Texas-Tyler.”

20 offensive rebounds would allow LC to hold a 44-26 advantage on the boards and 19-second chance points while holding LETU to just nine-second chance points and 18 points in the paint. Offensive struggles for the YellowJackets would carry over from Thursday’s game at Belhaven as LeTourneau shot 22.8 percent (18-of-79) from the field in the game and 4-for-27 (14.8 percent) from three.

One of the top scoring duos in the conference, senior Ashley Reed and freshman Keauna Whitfield led LETU with 14 points in the game as Whitfield hauled in 12 rebounds and had three assists. Reed picked up four steals to go along with her points while Alexandria Thorne set a new career-high for the second consecutive game after scoring 12 points. Guard Kourtney McGhee, who had 15 points and seven rebounds, paced Louisiana College.

The YellowJackets came out of the gates playing as the aggressor, using an 8-2 run midway through the first quarter to open up an 11-9 lead on LC before seeing the Wildcats knot the game at 11-11 with just under three minutes remaining in the period. A Cummings rebound and put back allowed LeTourneau to reclaim the lead at 13-11 before Reed picked off a pass from Janae Smith and coasted into the lane for the layup and foul to complete the three-point play. Brooke Jones for Louisiana College would score six of the final of the 10 points in the quarter however as Louisiana College would take a 21-16 lead into the second quarter.

The Louisiana College lead would hover around the five to seven point mark for a majority of the quarter, as Louisiana College would use small spurts to push their lead to double-digits on two different occasions before seeing LETU fight their way back to within five. LC’s final spurt would come with just over two minutes left in the first half and would be capped off by a Smith three to push the lead to 39-29, but a Whitfield free throw and an Olivia Eweni jumper in the waning seconds would pull LeTourneau within seven at the break.

Louisiana College managed to grow the lead slowly throughout the third quarter as a Reed triple to open the second half brought the YellowJackets to within four before seeing a 10-3 run pushed the lead back out to 11 at 49-38. The charity stripe came into play for LETU in the back end of the third quarter, with five of LeTourneau’s final nine points in the period beginning at the line which would allow for LC to open up a 66-47 lead with just 10 minutes left in the game.

Injuries and depth have caused issues for LETU all year, and once again found a way to make their presence felt on Saturday as a seasoned Louisiana College squad would use the fourth quarter to pull away for good from the YellowJackets. LETU never would give up on the game. Reed got another steal and layup with 3:48 left in the game as part of a 6-0 run for LeTourneau, but in the end, it would be the Wildcats coming away with a road victory in a game that was initially scheduled to be in Pineville, Louisiana.

Two more home games are in store for LeTourneau to close out the January portion of their schedule, starting Thursday evening when the YellowJackets host the University of the Ozarks at 5:30 p.m. Be sure to wear your bright colors and support LETU as part of Neon Night.

 

JACKSON, Miss. – Unlucky bounces and scoring woes would be the story of the night for the LeTourneau University women’s basketball team in a 57-41 road loss to Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi on Thursday, January 18.

With the loss, LETU is now 3-13 overall and 0-9 in the American Southwest Conference while the host Blazers improved to 3-13 overall and 3-6 in the ASC.

For the game, LeTourneau posted a 23.7 percent (14-59) shooting average from the floor and went 8-for-10 from the charity stripe (80 percent) while holding a 32-26 advantage on the glass. Belhaven connected on 18-of-50 shots (36.0 percent) from the field and managed to get to the free throw line 28 times, making 17 (60.7 percent). Points in the paint would be a big part of the difference in the game with the Blazers holding a 22-8 advantage down low over the YellowJackets while also getting 21 points from bench players.

Freshman guard Keauna Whitfield led LETU with 12 points and collected four rebounds to go along with three assists while sophomore Alexandria Thorne scored a career-high 10 points and had five rebounds. Senior Savannah Cummings led all players in the game with 12 total rebounds while playing all 40 minutes of the game. Belhaven got a game-high 14 points to go along with seven assists and five rebounds from starter AaLiyaha Thornton.

A slower pace than what is typically played by LeTourneau would be instituted from the start by Belhaven, with LETU jumping out to a 5-3 lead on a Cummings three-point play before seeing Lauren Brooks knot the game at five with a layup with 7:35 remaining in the first quarter. The YellowJackets would then open up their largest lead of the game with seven straight points with Thorne scoring five of the seven points to put LETU up by a score of 12-5. Belhaven responded by closing out the quarter with five consecutive points to pull within two at 12-10 heading into the second quarter as the final 5:54 of the period went without a LeTourneau point.

The lead would go back to four on a pair of Whitfield free throws to open the second quarter before seeing the Blazers go on a 9-2 run to open up a 19-16 lead with 4:28 left in the first half. Senior Ashley Reed got the YellowJackets back in the scoring column to tie things up with a three, but more scoring issues ensued down the final stretch of the second quarter which allowed BU to take a 24-19 lead at intermission.

LeTourneau would find a way to keep the deficit in single digits for a majority of the third quarter, managing to pull back within four on two separate occasions after seeing Belhaven look to extend their halftime lead. Following a Whitfield jumper with 4:35 remaining in the third that brought LETU to within five at 30-25, the Blazers would close the quarter out on 11-3 run to go up 41-28 and put the YellowJackets in their most significant deficit up to that point.

Offensive struggles kept giving LeTourneau fits throughout the fourth as Belhaven would start to find their shooting touch, pushing their lead to 20 following a pair of Thornton free throws with just 3:43 remaining as the YellowJackets could not get a bucket to fall when they needed it most. Seven of the final nine points would wind up being scored by LETU, but it would not be enough as the Blazers held on to win by 16.

Originally scheduled as a road game, ongoing maintenance at the H.O. West Fieldhouse on the campus of Louisiana College will give the YellowJackets a home game this Saturday when they host the Wildcats at 2 p.m. inside Solheim Arena. The game will mark the start of a three-game homestand for LeTourneau.

ASC PICKS

RICHARDSON, Texas – The LeTourneau University softball team has been picked to finish ninth in the American Southwest Conference Preseason Poll while senior Ashlin Roach along with juniors Macey Mize and Faith Genoway has been selected to the Preseason Players to Watch list.

The poll, which was announced by the conference office on Thursday afternoon, includes a total of 36 players and was conducted by a vote of ASC coaches and sports information directors.

The YellowJackets received a total of 134 points to beat out Sul Ross State University who was picked 10th with 106 while trailing Belhaven University who was chosen 8th with 149 points. Texas-Tyler is picked to win the ASC with 332 points, which included 23 of 26 first-place votes. Texas-Dallas, which won last year’s ASC Tournament is picked to finish second with 294 points and one first-place vote with East Texas Baptist earning 290 points and one first-place vote to round out the top three. Hardin-Simmons University received the other first-place vote and is picked to finish seventh.

Roach earned All-ASC honorable mention accolades a season ago and was one of just three players for LETU to start all 40 games. The Hughes Springs, Texas native led LeTourneau in slugging percentage (.559), runs batted in (33), doubles (8), home runs (7), total bases (71), and sacrifice flies (3) at the plate last year, earning her second consecutive All-ASC honors.

Mize will enter her junior campaign after appearing in and starting 38 games last season while hitting .298 with nine extra-base hits and 19 runs batted. A native of Waco, Texas, Mize struck out only nine times in 114 at-bats in 2017 and defensively threw out eight runners trying to steal while playing catcher.

Genoway will look to build upon the sophomore season that saw her make a team-high 23 appearances and start 17 games in the circle, throwing 12 complete games and a total of 114 innings. The 114 innings pitched was seventh-best in the American Southwest Conference last season, which helped the Lake Jackson, Texas native earn third-team All-ASC honors.

LETU will begin their season on Saturday, February 10th with a doubleheader at Schreiner University in Kerrville, Texas before opening ASC play the following weekend at Mary Hardin-Baylor. The YellowJackets host their home opener Tuesday, February 20th with a triangular against NCAA Division I Grambling State University and Centenary College.

Matt Kinney
Sports Information Director