After getting a week off for finals, the East Central University men's basketball team will make up for the time off by playing three games in five days.  The Tigers will first host College of Faith, Monday, Dec. 15 (7 p.m.).  ECU then welcomes Hillsdale Baptist College, Tuesday, Dec. 16 (7 p.m.) and Southwestern Adventist, Friday, Dec. 19 (Noon).  Friday's game is the annual Field Trip Day for local 5th grades.

Game Notes

The Broadcast
ECU's radio home for Tigers basketball in 2012-13 is Ada's KXFC, 105.5, FM 'The X-Factor'. Kenny Morrison returns to broadcast the games for his 18th season. Morrison, a 1987 ECU graduate, spent two seasons doing color prior to taking over the play-by-play duties during the 1997-98 season.  

The Coverage
Fans who can't be at the game can find links to live stats, live video (if available) and the KXFC radio broadcast on ECUTigers.com.  Go to the men's basketball schedule page. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast online or through the FREE KXFC App available in ITunes, Google Stores where apps are sold and www.kxfcradio.com.

Scouting College of Faith
College of Faith is 5-6 overall this season after falling to Midwestern State (Dec. 5) in their last outing.

Mike Campbell and Tevin Lewis led the Warriors in the 62-105 loss.  Campbell tallied 20 points and two rebounds, while Lewis added 19 points and four boards.  Erik Stuckey was the leading rebounder with nine.

The Series
This will be the first meeting between the Tigers and College of Faith.

Scouting Hillsdale Baptist College
The Saints are 4-8 overall and compete in the NCCAA.  Hillsdale faced Arlington Baptist Dec. 11 and will also play University of Southwest (Dec. 15) before coming to Ada.  The Tigers and the Saints have played two teams in common so far this year, with Hillsdale falling to Southwestern Oklahoma State and Rogers State.  The Saints have also lost to Southeastern Oklahoma State and defeated Southwest Adventist in common opponents for the season with ECU.

Hillsdale battled well against SWOSU, falling 81-82.  The Saints had four players in double figures, with Phil Carey leading the team with 24 points and seven rebounds.  Marqus Moody added 21 points and nine boards, with Adam Morales tallied 15 points and Marquis Burden 12.

The Series
This will be the first meeting between the Tigers and Hillsdale Baptist College.

Scouting Southwestern Adventist
The Knights' most recent outing was Dec. 10 against Texas Wesleyan, which they lost 65-92.

JaColby Hardin Crawford led SWAD with 35 points and six rebounds.  Tyler Wooldridge added 17 points and seven boards.

Against the Knights
Last season, the Tigers earned a record-setting win over SWAD, tallying the most points in a single game with 122. ECU had a total of six players in double figures in the scoring column, with three of those on the roster this season.  Seniors Brandon Lucas and Henry Pwono led the team.  Lucas garnered 15 points and Pwono 10 points and six boards.  Sophomore A.J. Moutry also added 14 points and four assists.

Kevin Sqarzon is the top returner for the Knights with 15 points, four assists and two rebounds.

The Series
This will be the second meeting with SWAD after the Tigers defeated the Knights 122-62 last season (Dec. 20, 2013) at the Kerr Activities Center.

Thomas Player of the Week
ECU junior Stirling Thomas has picked up his first honor of the 2014-15 season, as he was named the Great American Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Week for Nov. 24.  Thomas tallied 22 points and five assists against Arkansas-Monticello. Two days later, he scored 36 points and added seven steals vs Henderson State. His .875 (7-of-8) mark from behind the arc tied a school record for three-point field-goal percentage in a game and he was one steal away from tying the school record for steals in a game.

Revealing Reeves
Redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves might not have played in the 2013-14 season, but he has stepped right back into his game in 2014-15.  Against Arkansas-Monticello, Reeves tallied a career-best 22 points, while shooting 9-of-14 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc.

Pwono Player of the Week
After finishing the 2013-14 season as the GAC Player of the Week, senior Henry Pwono has become the first GAC Player of the Week for the 2014-15 season.  At the GAC/Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Challenge, Pwono averaged 20.5 points and 11 rebounds. The Pittsburgh, Pa., native scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the victory against Wayne State College. He converted on 14-of-18 from the floor, including an 11-of-14 performance against the Wildcats.

Solid Stirling
Junior Stirling Thomas proved that he was a good addition to the Tigers squad as he came out and averaged 21.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in the first two outings of the 2014-15 season.  Thomas shot .441 (15-of-34) from the field, .455 (5-of-11) from beyond the arc and .889 (8-of-9) from the charity stripe, while adding four assists and four steals.

Turning Out for the Exhibition
The Tigers had a strong showing at their exhibition game at Oral Roberts, falling by just seven points (68-75).  ECU led for most of the game and took a 38-33 lead into the locker room at the half.  The Tigers were led by junior Stirling Thomas, with 25 points and five rebounds, while senior Henry Pwono tallied 16 points and 11 rebounds.  The duo were two of four players with double-digit point totals, with redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves adding 15 and senior Brandon Lucas 10.

Returning Power
While most, including the ECU coaching staff, expected to lose senior Henry Pwono at the end of the 2013-14 season that is not the case.  Pwono had a redshirt available from his season at Seaton Hill and it was approved by the NCAA, so Pwono will be back on the court for the Tigers after averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 boards per game a year ago.  Pwono ended the season with three-straight games where he recorded over 20 points.

Making a Difference Off the Court
On the court is not the only place that you can find a member of ECU men's basketball team.  Since head coach Ja Havens has taken over the program the Tigers have renewed their commitment to community service.  ECU has been a part of several community service projects already this school year, with an emphasis on youth events.  The Tigers have been to several elementary and middle schools in the area to read with the students and to get to know their younger fans.

Up Next
After the busy week, the Tigers will get more time off for the holidays and will not play again until Jan. 3 when they travel to Southern Nazarene for a 3 p.m. tip.

Up Next at the Kerr Activities Center
The Tigers will return home Thursday, Jan. 8 for a GAC game against Southern Arkansas at 7:30 p.m. and then remain home to face Ouachita Baptist, Jan. 10 at 3 p.m.