BARTLESVILLE, OKLA. – The East Central University men's basketball team rebounded from a loss the night before to earn an 80-77 win over Wayne State College in the final game of the Great American Conference/Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Challenge at Bruin Fieldhouse.

The Tigers (1-1) were led by senior Henry Pwono who tallied a season-high 33 points and a career-high 16 rebounds.  Pwono went 11-of-14 from the field and 11-of -13 from the charity stripe, while adding an assist and a steal.  Junior Stirling Thomas added 19 points, junior Deron Hill 11 and sophomore Aly Hudgins 10.

"I'm very proud of the way we competed down the stretch today," said head coach Ja Havens.  "We showed some toughness to respond with the quick turnaround.  I give our players all the credit for making the plays that we needed to close the game out."

The Wildcats (0-2) came out ready to play and went on a 7-2 run in the first two minutes and increased the lead to as many as eight.  ECU then tied the game at 14 with a 10-2 run until 13:53.  The teams traded points over the next 5:30 before the Tigers used a 9-0 run to gain a 32-25 lead.

WSC followed with an 8-2 run over the next 2:30 to cut the disadvantage to one (34-33).  The teams again traded baskets over the final minutes of the half; with ECU earning a 40-37 lead.

The battle continued into the start of the second half.  After the first 1:30 the Wildcats pushed ahead with a 14-4 run, over a two-minute span (47-53).  The Tigers battled back with an 8-2 run and tied the game at 55.  However, the lead was short lived, as WSC pushed back into the lead and increased it to as many as five over the next five minutes.

With just over seven minutes left to play, ECU again tied the game at 69, this time with a 7-3 run.  The back-and-forth battle continued over the next minute until the Tigers used a final push to take the lead for good.  ECU went on a 6-0 run, over a three-minute mark to garner a 76-72 lead with 3:06 left to play.

WSC cut the lead to one (76-75) and again at 78-77 over the next two minutes, but a final layup by Pwono, with 1:16 left to play, were the final points of the game and gave the Tigers the 80-77 win.

The key to the game came at the charity stripe, with ECU going 17-of-22 and only allowing WSC to go 12-of-17.

The Tigers will now get ready for the first GAC game of the season, Thursday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. in Monticello, Ark., against Arkansas-Monticello.