The East Central University women's basketball team will split the next week between the Kerr Activities Center and the road.  The Tigers will first host Southwestern Oklahoma State, Thursday, Dec. 4 at 5:30 p.m. for the first Great American Conference game in Ada for the 2014-15 season.  ECU will then hit the road for a GAC match-up with Northwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 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 currently 1-3 overall and 0-1 in the GAC after falling to Harding (Nov. 22).  After averaging 83.1 points per game a year ago, SWOSU is struggling a little on offense in 2014-15 with just 65.5 points per game.  The Bulldogs have a -13.2 scoring and -10.2 rebounding margin for the season and are shooting .328 from the field to .423 by the opposition.

SWOSU has three players averaging double-digits in the point's column, with Jennifer Williams leading the team with 17.8 points per game.  Chelsea Bates is an all-around player to watch with 15.3 points and 7.8 boards per game, 13 assists and seven steals.

Against the Bulldogs
In 2013-14, the teams met three times and SWOSU earned wins in two of the three.  Senior Dilan Webster leads the returners with 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, while sophomore Jalyn Jackson added a team-best 10.3 boards per game.  Senior Erin Walling also contributed 13.0 points per game.

The Bulldogs have lost their top five scorers from last year, with Jessica Penner and Chelsea Bates being the top returners.  Penner tallied 6.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, while Bates added 5.3 points and 2.3 boards.

The Series
The Tigers and the Bulldogs have played each other at least once a year since the 1982-83 season.  SWOSU currently holds a 25-47 lead in the series after winning the last two games, but ECU earned a win in the last meeting in Ada last season.

Scouting Northwestern
The Rangers are 1-4 overall and have not played a GAC game yet this season.  That will change Thursday, when NWOSU hosts Southern Nazarene.  The Rangers are close in most of the non-scoring statistical categories, but have a -13.2 scoring and -10.4 rebounding margin for the year.  They also trail .359 to .446 in overall shooting percentage.

NWOSU is spreading out their offense for the year, with no players averaging over 9.6 points per game.  Kalea King leads the team with 9.6 points and adds 1.4 rebounds per game.  Kamra Bozeman has garnered 7.2 points and 2.6 rebounds per game, while shooting .500 (13-of-26) from the field.
 
Against the Rangers
Last year the Tigers went 2-0 against NWOSU, winning by an average of 8.0 points per game.  Senior Erin Walling led ECU with 14.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .480 (12-of-25) from the field.  Sophomore Jalyn Jackson was the rebounding leader with 11.0 boards per game, while adding 6.0 points per game.

The Series
The Tigers have been strong in the all-time series with the Rangers, holding a 25-9 advantage.  The series dates back to 1983, with ECU winning nine of the last 10 meetings.  That includes two from a season ago.

Two Sign for 2015-16
Head Coach Matt Cole announced the signing of his first two players to the 2015-16 roster in Lexi Smith and Tia Williams.

Smith has been a part of the Bethany High School varsity team for the last three seasons.  The 2013-14 All-Canadian Valley Conference selection averaged 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game as a junior.

Williams has helped Norman North to two-straight Oklahoma State Tournament appearances, two regional championships and an area championship.  The 2013-14 All-Mid State honorable mention pick averaged 10 points per game and added 63 assists, 20 steals and 46 rebounds as a junior.

Moving Up the Ranks
Senior Dilan Webster may be the leading blocker for the Tigers, but she is also making a mark for herself in the scoring columns.  Webster has 979 career points and could become the 13th player at ECU to earn 1,000 points.  She is also among five action players in the Great American Conference that have over 800 points and could become the fifth player in GAC history to hit the milestone.

Taylor Shaking it Up
Senior Taylor Fischer has moved into her starting role for ECU with strong numbers compared to a season ago.  In 2013-14, Fischer averaged 4.4 points and 1.9 rebounds per game and so far in 2014-15 she is netting 12.4 points and 3.8 rebounds per game.  Fischer is currently ranked No. 5 in the GAC in assists per game (3.2) and No. 1 in assist/turnover ratio (3.2).

Half and Half
The Tigers return have of a quartet that tallied double-digit point totals in 2013-14, with Alycea Price and Ashley Robison both graduating and Dilan Webster and Erin Walling returning for their senior seasons in 2014-15.  Webster netted 11.2 points per game and added 6.3 boards, while Walling garnered 11.1 points and 4.2 rebounds.

First Game/First Win
First-year head coach Matt Cole started out his head coaching career the best way a coach can, with a win in his first game when the Tigers defeated Rogers State 57-54 (Nov. 15, 2014).

Already Atop the Leader Board
Senior Dilan Webster has been a force to deal with on the blocks, as she became the ECU all-time leading blocker before her junior season (2013-14).  Webster tallied 30 more blocks a year ago and has seven this season to more her own school record to 133 career blocks.

Starting Where We Left Off
ECU was picked to finish tied for fourth in the Great American Conference standings for the 2014-15 season in the annual Preseason Poll, as voted on by the league's head coaches.  The Tigers finished with 58 points in the poll, with Harding picked to repeat as champions with 99 points and nine first-place votes.  ECU finished the 2013-14 season second with an overall record of 19-9 and a 13-7 mark in league games.

Up Next
The Tigers will get ready for three-straight non-conference games to end the 2014 portion of the season.  ECU will first travel to face Texas A&M Commerce, Dec. 16 at 6 p.m.

Up Next at the Kerr Activities Center
The Tigers last home game in the 2014 portion of the season is set for Saturday, Dec. 20 at 1 p.m. when ECU welcomes St. Gregory's to the Kerr Activities Center.