Cowboys Beat ETBU In ASC Quarterfinals

Box Score

LONGVIEW, Texas -- Hardin-Simmons' basketball team advanced in the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament with an 89-80 win over East Texas Baptist on Thursday at Solheim Arena in Longview.

East Texas Baptist made a strong push at the Cowboys in the second half but the Cowboys relied on its seniors down the stretch and they delivered. Nathaniel Jack had 16 of his career-high 27 points in the second half and Duane Hopper added eight points as the Cowboys pulled away down the stretch.

HSU trailed 11-10 early on but a 10-0 run gave the Cowboys a lead they would not relinquish. HSU pushed the lead out to 28-15 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Dashun Dixon. ETBU slowly chipped the deficit back to 30-25 and the Cowboys responded again with a 12-2 run to make it 42-27 with 5:27 to play in the first half. HSU led 52-41 at halftime.

ETBU slowly crawled back in the game and eventually cut it to 77-76 with 4:24 to play, but Hopper hit a pair of free throws and after a stop on defense Caleb Spoon buried a 3-pointer to push the lead out to 82-76. HSU was 7-for-8 at the free throw stripe the rest of the way and held on for the win.

Jack added 14 rebounds to go with his 28 points and played all 40 minutes. He was 10-for-13 from the field. He also went over the 1,000-point mark for his career giving the Cowboys three active players over 1,000 points, joining Jones and Christian O'Neal.

Jones had 16 points, nine rebounds, five blocks and four assists and Dixon added 13 points. O'Neal and Hopper each added 12 points for the Cowboys.

Jordan Quillan led ETBU with 21 points and Will Thomas added 20.

HSU is now 20-6 on the season and will play UT Dallas in the semifinals at 5 p.m. Friday. It is the fourth straight season HSU and UTD have played in the ASC Tournament. ETBU ended its season with a record of 15-11.

--- www.hsuathletics.com ---

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Players Mentioned

#5 Dashun Dixon: G; 6' 4"; Senior

#4 Duane Hopper: F; 6' 4"; Senior

#45 Nathaniel Jack: F; 6' 3"; Senior

#11 Christian O'Neal: PG; 6' 1"; Senior

#3 Caleb Spoon: G; 6' 3"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#5 Dashun Dixon
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

#4 Duane Hopper
: 6' 4"; Senior
: F

#45 Nathaniel Jack
: 6' 3"; Senior
: F

#11 Christian O'Neal
: 6' 1"; Senior
: PG

#3 Caleb Spoon
: 6' 3"; Junior
: G