Box Score ADA – The East Central University men's basketball team held on to first place in the Great American Conference standings and earned their first win in school history over Arkansas-Monticello, 78-60, in the Kerr Activities Center.

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The Tigers (14-7, 11-4 GAC) were led by senior Henry Pwono, who tallied his third double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds.  Fellow senior Colby Carr added 15 points, while junior Brandon Lucas contributed 17.

Both teams had strong defense in the opening two minutes of the game, holding each other scoreless.  ECU was the first to break the drought and went on an 8-2 run until 14:47 remained on the clock.  The teams traded points for the next two minutes when ECU used a 7-0 run to push the lead to 10 (19-9).

The Boll Weevils (15-8, 8-7 GAC) then put together a 13-3 run until six minutes were left on the clock, for a 22-24 lead.  The teams battled over the final minutes of the half, but the Tigers earned a 34-31 lead heading into the intermission with three free throws, with four seconds on the clock.

ECU came out of the locker room ready to fight and used a 17-4 run in the first four minutes to take a 51-25 lead.  The Boll Weevils countered with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to nine and the teams then traded points for the next minutes.

The Tigers then used a 9-3 run to push the lead back to double-digits, with 8:48 left to play.  ECU kept the advantage between 8 to 11 points for the next three minutes before the Tigers used an 11-1 run in the final minutes to earn a 78-60 win.

ECU earned a key 66.7 overall shooting percentage to 35.1 mark by UAM.  The Tigers also earned a 20-of-28 to 16-of-29 advantage at the charity stripe.

ECU will now hit the road for three-straight games over the next two weeks.  The first stop will be in Weatherford, Okla., to battle Southwestern Oklahoma State at the new Pioneer Event Center.  The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 13.