LONGVIEW, Texas – McMurry University Men's Basketball gave American Southwest Conference East Division preseason favorite LeTourneau University all it could handle for the first 25 minutes, before the YellowJackets pulled away for the 87-73 victory Saturday afternoon.

The War Hawks (4-11, 1-5 ASC) held a 43-42 lead early in the second half, before the YellowJackets (8-5, 4-2 ASC) went on a 24-4 run over the next seven minutes to put the game out of reach. McMurry could only get as close as 13 points the rest of the way.

It was a tale of two halves in one, as McMurry raced out to a 16-7 lead in the first six minutes. Senior forward Jordan Jackson scored half of his 16 points during the stretch, including a pair of three pointers. He grabbed six rebounds in the contest, as well.

LeTourneau then used a 14-0 run to regain the lead since 2-0. After growing the lead to seven, the War Hawks battled back to take a 33-29 lead, as junior guard Trevin Ramirez paced the run with six of his eight points. However, the YellowJackets would enter the half with a four-point lead.

McMurry shot the ball well, connecting on 49.2 percent of their attempts from the floor, but were outscored by 17 points from the charity stripe. Both teams struggled from beyond the arc, with the War Hawks at 25.0 percent and the YellowJackets at just 19.0 percent.

The teams made a living in the paint, combining for 88 points there. Turnovers were once again costly for McMurry, being outscored 21-8 in points off turnovers and 14-6 in fast break points.

Junior forward Mike Williams Jr. scored 16 points and added seven rebounds, and junior guard Zacc Carter led a bench unit that scored 25 points with nine.

The War Hawks will remain on the road for another week, beginning with a trip to Concordia University Texas January 10 for a 7:30 p.m. tip.