MARSHALL, Texas – McMurry University's women's basketball team could not take advantage of the hot hand of freshman Amye Templeton, losing a tough 81-73 battle at East Texas Baptist University in its first ASC game versus an ASC foe this season.
 
Templeton opened the game with a perfect ledger in the first two quarters, going 6-for-6 from the field – 5-of-5 from beyond the arc – for 17 first-half points.  Templeton – who came off of the McM bench – finished the evening with a game and career high 22 points, connecting on 8-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-7 from long range (her lone miss was a desperation shot as the third period expired).
 
"We changed the footwork on her shot a couple days ago," McM head coach Brittany Densman-Roes explained of Templeton's big night. "It was nice to see a freshman step up; it energized all of us. She gave the rest of the team confidence, which is amazing for a freshman."
 
Senior Taylor Russell had her third-straight double-digit scoring game for the War Hawks (0-4), tallying 19 points. Russell made a living at the free throw stripe, where she was 11-of-13.  She also led the McM team with eight rebounds and five assists.
 
Fellow senior Sierra Maykus was the third double-figure scorer for head coach Brittany Densman-Roes' team, booking 16 points on a 7-for-21 shooting effort.
 
Other scorers for McMurry included eight points from Chelsie Lail off the bench, four from Alex McIntosh and three from Kessha Bracy. Bracy contributed five rebounds, while Lail passed off for three assists.
 
The War Hawks trailed 11-6 at the first media break at the 3:45 minute mark of the opening period, but clawed back and eventually tied matters at 13-13 following a pair of Russell free throws with 1:10 left. ETBU (5-2) would close the period on a 5-0 run to lead 18-13.
 
The second quarter saw McM continuing to try to overtake the host Tigers. With less than a minute remaining until the intermission, McM got even when Lail drained a jumper to make it 31-31 going into the locker room.
 
Unlike its last game where the War Hawks had a big third period versus Centenary on Sunday, McMurry struggled out of the gate in the second half and were out-scored by the Tigers 35-19 in the stanza. But the resilient McM team continued to battle. Despite trailing by as much was 21 points (early in the fourth quarter), the War Hawks fought back behind Maykus who had 14 of her points in the final period alone. The hill proved a bit too much to climb for the War Hawks, and the Tigers took the 81-73 decision.
 
"Losing is never easy, but I felt this was the first complete game we played this season," Densman-Roes reflected. "That was nice to see.  We never quit."
 
McMurry will next play at Louisiana College on Saturday at 1 p.m.