MARSHALL, Texas – McMurry University Men's Basketball took on East Texas Baptist in their first game of the new year, falling on the road to the Tigers, 86-69, Thursday night in American Southwest Conference action.

The teams swapped the lead six times in the early going, before the Tigers (6-5, 4-1 ASC) used a 15-6 run to take a 30-21 advantage late in the first half. But the War Hawks (4-10, 1-4 ASC) battled back with an 11-2 run to pull within 34-32 before the Tigers would hit a step-back three at the buzzer.

After the Tigers scored the first six points of the second half, McMurry embarked on a 15-7 run led by a pair of threes by sophomore guard Colin Taylor, including a four-point play. However, ETBU would score the next eight points and not look back, holding a double-digit lead for much of the remainder of the game.

Junior forward Mike Williams Jr. returned to the starting lineup, which was shaken up, as well. He led the War Hawks with 16 points, and crashed the glass for a game-high 15 rebounds. Taylor finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Isaac Moreno rounded out the double-figure scorers with 13 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

Senior forward Jordan Jackson and junior guard Zacc Carter came off the bench and chipped in nine and eight points, respectively.

McMurry struggled from the field, shooting just 37.3 percent overall and 33.3 percent from three-point range. The Tigers, meanwhile, knocked down 47.5 percent of their attempts and had 11 more free throw attempts.

Turnovers were costly for the War Hawks, as they turned the ball over 22 times which led to 23 fast break points for the Tigers. The War Hawks were only able to muster two fast break points.

The War Hawks will remain on the road as they take on LeTourneau University Saturday at 3 p.m. in another ASC matchup.