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Marshall, Texas – Paige Parrish scored 17 points and DJ Vallier and Tyler Compton had career performances in leading the Concordia University Texas women's basketball team to a 64-56 victory over East Texas Baptist on Saturday, Jan. 5 at Omelas Gymnasium. The Tornados won their third game in a row, including their second straight on the road.

Concordia (7-6, ASC 4-3) started the game in cruise control, scoring nine straight points out of the gate and 14 of the first 17. Brianna Smith hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes to give the Tornados a 9-0 lead. After East Texas Baptist hit its first field goal on a Mary Slaughter jumper at the 14:24 mark to make it 9-3, the visitors scored another five in a row. Smith nailed a jump shot to give her team a 14-3 cushion with 12:55 left.

The Tornados stayed ahead for awhile and built up a 24-13 advantage when Sara Byrd canned a trifecta with just over seven minutes left, but the Tigers ended the frame on a 16-2 run. Morgan Garrett tied the game at 26-all by making a 3-pointer with 2:41 to play before Amanda Rucker finished a 3-point play the old-fashioned way to give the hosts a 29-26 lead heading into the break.

The second half was more competitive. The Tornados hung around and took their first lead of the frame when a Paige Parrish jumper made it 38-36 shortly before the first media timeout. The lead changed two more times with Tyler Compton converting a layup after setting up a Smith trey to put the Tornados ahead by a slim 45-44 margin with 12 minutes remaining .

Concordia (7-6, ASC 4-3) never surrendered the lead as the teams played a tight, one-possession game for nearly the remainder of regulation. After a Madi Hess free throw put her team ahead 53-49, the Tigers scored four straight to tie the game again at 53. But layups by Parrish and Katherine Frost put the Tornados up for good. Parrish and Hess each made foul shots down the stretch to allow the Tornados to escape with the eight-point win.

Parrish netted her team-leading 17 points for Concordia by shooting over 50 percent from the field. Smith scored 11 points, including nine on 3-pointers, and DJ Vallier finished with six points and a career-high 10 boards. Compton had five points and a career-best seven assists.

East Texas Baptist (9-4, ASC 4-3), which won the CTX Christmas Classic in Austin last weekend, was paced by Adaeze Elonu and Slaughter. Elonu finished with 16 points, five rebounds and four steals off the bench, while Slaughter had six points and a game-high 11 boards.

Concordia visits rival Mary Hardin-Baylor on Tuesday, Jan. 8 at 5:30 p.m.