The East Central University men's basketball team will get back into Great American Conference action this week, splitting their time in Ada and on the road.  The Tigers will first host Southwestern Oklahoma State, Thursday, Dec. 4 at 7:30 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center and then head to Northwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m.

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 Southwestern
The Bulldogs are 4-2 overall and 0-1 in the GAC after winning their last two games.  SWOSU has a +4.0 scoring and rebounding margin for the season and is close in all other statistical categories.

The Bulldogs have two players in double digits in the scoring column, with Martell Collins leading the team.  Collins has 18.7 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per outing, while shooting .444 (40-of-90) from the field and .423 (11-of-26) from beyond the arc.  Trent Washington adds 13.8 points per game, 15 assists and 10 steals.

Against the Bulldogs
The Tigers fell in both meetings with SWOSU last season, but did hold a +5.5 rebounding margin.  Sophomore A.J. Moutry leads the returners for ECU with 11.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, while senior Henry Pwono tallied 9.5 points and 7.5 boards per outing.

Trent Washington is the top returners for the Bulldogs, with 14.0 points and 4.0 boards per game.  Kenyan Borders adds 11.5 points per game.

The Series
In the longest series in school history, the Tigers hold a 93-84 advantage despite losing the last two games.  There are just three seasons that have not seen an ECU/SWOSU battle.

Scouting Northwestern
The Rangers are 1-4 overall and 0-0 in the GAC after losing their last four games.  NWOSU will play its first league game of the season Thursday when they host Southern Nazarene.  The Rangers have a -14.4 scoring and a -7.2 rebounding margin for the year and trail in all categories on the box score.

NWOSU has four players who are scoring in double-digits for the season, with T'aries Taylor leading the team with 12.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.  Adrian Motley also tallies 12.2 points and has a team-best 7.0 boards per game.

Against the Rangers
ECU and NWOSU split the series in 2013-14, with each team winning at home.  The Tigers won by 17 points at home and fell by just three in Alva.  Sophomore A.J. Moutry leads the ECU returners in the series with 13.0 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. Senior Henry Pwono added 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Adrian Motley and Laakeem Henderson are the top returners for the Rangers.  Motley averaged 12.5 points and 3.5 boards per game, while Henderson added 10.5 points.

The Series
The Tigers own an 86-51 lead in the all-time series with the Rangers, which dates back to the 1927-28 season.  Before the 2013-14 season, the series had not been contested since 1997 when ECU joined the NCAA.

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 at the Kerr Activities Center
The Tigers will return home for the final three games of the 2014 portion of the season.  After taking a week off for finals, ECU will host College of Faith (Dec. 15/7 p.m.), Hillsdale Baptist College (Dec. 16/7 p.m.) and Southwestern Adventist (Dec. 19/Noon)