SEARCY, ARK. – The East Central University men's basketball team held a lead for most of the second half, but Harding was able to come-from-behind in the final 10 minutes to take the 80-87 victory in Great American Conference action at Rhodes Fieldhouse.

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The Tigers (11-4, 5-3 GAC) were led by junior Stirling Thomas, who tallied 35 points, going 13-of-25 from the field and 8-of-16 from beyond the arc.  Redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves was next in the point's column with 16 points.  Senior Henry Pwono led the team on the glass with six rebounds.

The Bisons (6-8, 4-4 GAC) opened the game with a 12-2 run in the first 5:30 on strong shooting.  However, the Tigers responded with a 9-0 run of their own over the next two minutes to cut the disadvantage to three. 

The teams then traded runs and points over the next 10 minutes, with no team leading by more than three points.  That is until a 4-0 run over a minute span by Harding gave them a 4-0 advantage, with 1:25 left to play in the stanza.  ECU wasn't done fighting and used a 5-0 run of its own to push the momentum back in their favor, 45-42, at the half.

The second half started like the first, with a Bisons 7-0 run to gain a 45-49 lead.  The Tigers again fought back and used a 9-2 run to take a 55-51 advantage, with 15 minutes left to play.  Harding tied the game at 57 a minute later before the Tigers went on a 9-2 run over a two-minute span to regain a 67-59 lead.

That is when the Bisons started their come back, using a 13-2 run until just under four minutes remained to take a 71-74 lead.  Thomas tied the game at 74 with one of his eight triples in the game, but that was as close at ECU would come to seeing a lead again in the game.

Harding went on a 5-0 run over the next two minutes and then kept the advantage around five-to-seven points until a 30 seconds remained.  Redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves hit a triple to cut the disadvantage to four, but late free throws by Harding gave them the 80-87 victory.

Trips to the charity stripe became the key to the game, as ECU went just 7-of-14 and allowed the Bisons to make 33 trips, only making 18.  The teams were both even from beyond the arc with 11 each and the Tigers took a 31 to 29 lead in overall shots made.

The Tigers will now continue on their road trip with a stop in Russellville, Ark., to face Arkansas Tech, Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3 p.m.