SEARCY, ARK. – The East Central University women's basketball team kept things close, but fell to No. 25 Harding 50-62 in the closest game in the past four seasons at Rhodes Fieldhouse in Great American Conference action.

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The Tigers (10-4, 6-2 GAC) were paced by senior Janee Garza, with 15 points and two rebounds.  Senior Dilan Webster added 12 points and three points.

ECU came out ready to battle and scored the first six points of the half, all from Garza on triples.  The Bisons (12-2, 8-0 GAC) were held without a field goal until 18:09 remained on the clock.  In the first 9:30 of the half, the Tigers held onto a nine to five-point advantage before Harding put together its first run.  The Bisons were able to cut the deficit to two (20-18) over a two-minute span, but ECU countered with a 5-2 run of its own to push back out to a five-point lead.

Harding then really started to pick up the tempo and used an 8-3 run to tie the game at 28, with 4:45 left to play.  The Bisons kept the momentum in their favor and in the final 3:30 of the half, using an 11-1 run to take a 31-39 lead into the locker room.

The opening few minutes of the second half was a defensive battle, with only eight points scored by either team.  With 17:47 left to play the Tigers started a push that would get them within two points.  ECU used a 13-5 run over the next eight minutes to cut the deficit to 46-48. 

However, the Bisons counted with a 10-0 run of their own over the next eight minutes to regain a double-digit advantage.  The teams traded points of the final two minutes, with Harding earning the 50-62 win.

Points scored in the paint were the key to the game, as Harding tallied 44 and only allowed ECU to garner 20.

The Tigers now get ready to face their second nationally ranked team in a row, Saturday, Jan. 17 when they stop in Russellville, Ark., to battle No. 15 Arkansas Tech at 1 p.m.