MONTICELLO, ARK. – The East Central University men's basketball team used a 21-3 run in the middle of the second half to pull away from Arkansas-Monticello for an 84-81 victory in Great American Conference action at Steelman Field House.

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The Tigers (2-1, 1-0 GAC) were led by redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves and junior Stirling Thomas, who each tallied 22 points.  Sophomore Aly Hudgins garnered a team high seven boards and added eight points.

"UAM is a well-coached team with some great players so I am very proud of our guys for making enough plays to win," said head coach Ja Havens.  "We were far from perfect, but when it was time to win the game they really stepped up, came together and got consecutive stops when it was needed most."

ECU started the game up 2-0 before the opening tip-off after the Boll Weevils (1-1, 0-1 GAC) were charged a technical foul for dunking during warm ups.  Thomas hit both free throws and when the game really started it was a tight battle. 

The teams traded baskets for the first six minutes and were tied at 13 when UAM used a 3-0 run, over a minute-span, to gain a key advantage.  The teams again traded baskets for the next two minutes before UAM used a 5-0 run to push its lead out to eight (19-27). 

The Tigers kept fighting and kept the deficit between three and seven points through the half, until Reeves hit a triple at the buzzer to cut the disadvantage to two, 40-42, heading into the locker room.

ECU quickly tied the game at 42 at the start of the second half, but the Boll Weevils countered with a 4-0 run to push the advantage back to four (44-48), with 18:15 to play.  The teams traded baskets over the next minute before the Tigers started their come-back.

ECU surged ahead 65-54, with a 21-3 run over the next seven minutes.  UAM pushed back and used a few small runs to cut the deficit to four (67-63), but the Tigers countered with an 11-2 run to take a 78-65, lead with 2:30 left.

The Boll Weevils did not give up and hit four triples in the final 1:45 and put together a 16-6 run.  However, it wasn't enough as the Tigers held on for the 84-81 win.
The game ended up coming down to just a few possessions, with ECU earning a slight advantage in shooting percentage at .508 (30-of-59) to .429 (30-of-70).  The Tigers also made two more free throws (16-14) to help earn the victory.

ECU will finish up their four-game road trip to open the 2014-15 season this Saturday, Nov. 22 when they travel to Arkadelphia, Ark., to face Henderson State at 3 p.m.