East Texas Baptist out ran LaGrange 113-99 in the Panthers' Wingate by Wyndham Classic on Friday in Mariotti Gym despite a career-game from junior Julian Cameron. The Panthers slipped to 0-3 on the young season, while East Texas Baptist upped its record to 2-1.
Coach Kendal Wallace:
"We are a young team loaded with talent. Trying to replace six seniors is tough for any program. I'm confident that we'll grow. We need to sit down and guard efficiently. We allowed them too many easy baskets, turned it over in spurts which they capitalized on and weren't tough enough in our defensive philosophy. We need to make an emphasis on rebounding on both sides of the ball. ETBU is a very good team. We've played quality competition these first three outings and battled hard in every game. I'm confident in this group we'll bounce back and start proving who we are shortly."
How it Happened
- The visiting Tigers scored the game's first nine points. The Panthers would fall behind by 19, 47-28, with 7:50 left in the first half. ETBU still led 52-35 with 5:51 remaining when the Panthers caught fire.
- LC finished the first half on a 17-3 run. Cameron had 15 of his career-high 31 points in the half, while Henry Blair had all 12 of his points. Kyle Brown closed out the half with two blocks on the defensive end and a layup at the other end to end the half.
- The Panthers continued their hot streak into the second half. Drew Shepherd's 3-pointer two minutes into the half gave LC its first lead of the game, 60-59. Cameron made a steal and converted a layup to extend the Panthers' lead to 71-63.
- The Tigers, led by Robby Dooley's game-high 32 points, came back to retake the lead. The two teams swapped the lead four times and Ronald Youngblood's three-point play tied the game for the final time, 83-83, with 10:42 left. ETBU used a 13-1 run over the next three minutes to take control of the game. The Panthers would not get closer than seven points the rest of the way.
By the Numbers
- Cameron was 10-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He is averaging 27 points per game in the first three games.
- LC had five players in double figures. Youngblood and Drew Fitschen each had 13 points, while Sheperd had 11.
- Brown had five blocks in the game and led the team with seven rebounds.
- Bershard Edwards had a game-high seven assists.
Next Up
The Panthers close out the tournament Saturday against Bob Jones University at 5 p.m.
