MONTICELLO, ARK. – The East Central University women's basketball team moved to 2-0 on the season and 1-0 in the Great American Conference after a tight 69-65 overtime win at Arkansas-Monticello in Steelman Field House.
Photo Gallery"I am very happy to get a road conference win," said head coach
Matt Cole. "You always tell your team that to care of business you have to win your home games and steal some on the road and we definitely stole one tonight. We showed some character tonight when we got challenged late and I am very pleased."
The Tigers (2-0, 1-0 GAC) were paced by senior
Dilan Webster, who tallied a season-high 23 points, nine rebounds and five blocks. Fellow seniors
Janee Garza and
Erin Walling were also in double-digits in the scoring column, with 15 and 14 points respectively.
"Dilan was much more efficient tonight than her first game this season," Cole added. "She did a much better job scoring in the post like we asked her to do."
The first half opened with a defensive battle, as both teams held each other scorelesss for almost the first two minutes. The Cotton Blossoms (0-2, 0-1 GAC) were the first to get the goose egg off the scoreboard, hitting a shot with 18:19 left to play. ECU followed with a triple from Walling, at 17:21, and kept the lead for most of the first half of the stanza.
With 11 minutes left to play, UAM used a 4-0 run to take the first lead larger than three points in the half (13-17). However, the Tigers countered with an 8-0 run of their own to regain the advantage (21-17). The teams then traded baskets for the rest of the half, until a shot from Walling with 10 seconds left on the clock gave ECU the 29-23 (six points) lead heading into the intermission.
ECU came out strong at the start of the second half, using a 6-0 run to push the lead out to nine (37-28). The Tigers had increased the lead to 12, with 14:10 left to play, when the Cotton Blossoms made a strong 11-0 run and cut the deficit to one (44-43), with 9:17 on the clock.
ECU countered with a 7-2 run to regain a six-point lead and kept the lead between five to seven points until the final two minutes of the half. In those final minutes, UAM went on a 7-0 run and forced overtime when the teams were knotted at 60 at the end of regulation.
The Cotton Blossoms were the first to get on the scoreboard in the extra stanza, making two free throws with 3:28 left. Then it was the Tigers turn at the charity stripe after an intentional foul. Those free shots, by Walling, started a 7-0 run over a 1:20 span to give ECU a 67-62 advantage. The Tigers kept fighting and two free throws by sophomore
Jalyn Jackson with nine seconds left gave them the needed cushion, as they went on to win 69-65.
ECU took care of the ball, recording just five turnovers to 15 by the Cotton Blossoms. The Tigers used those UAM turnovers to convert on the offensive end of the court, scoring 24 points off turnovers and allowing just seven.
ECU will now head to Arkadelphia, Ark., to face Henderson State in the final of three-straight road games to start the 2014-15 campaign. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 22 at Duke Wells Center.
