BEAUMONT, Texas — For the first time since 2011 professional basketball was played in Southeast Texas, as the Beaumont Panthers made their TBL debut against the Enid Outlaws Monday night in Ford Arena.
Early on it look like the team that partially co-owned by Kendrick Perkins would blow the doors off Enid, leading by as many as eleven in the opening quarter.
That wouldn't be the case. Instead the Outlaws dominated the second quarter, outscoring Beaumont 37-18 on the way to a 126-112 win.
While things played out fairly even the rest of the night, the second quarter domination by Enid (1-1) was too much for the Panthers to overcome.
Lyle Hexom paced the Beaumont (0-1) with 32 points and 10 rebounds, while former West Brook standout Mike Zeno pitched in with 20.
On the other side Jean-Felix Moupegnou led all scorers with 33 points.
The Panthers will try to rebound Thursday night when they host the Sugar Land Imperials (1-0) in Ford Arena.