The East Central University men's basketball team will be looking to close out the first half of the Great American Conference schedule on a high note when they welcome arch rival Southeastern Oklahoma State to the Kerr Activities Center, Thursday, Jan. 22 for a 7:30 p.m. tip.

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.

Blackout the Power of the Storm
Thursday's game is the annual Blackout the Power of the Storm game, with fans encouraged to show their support for the Tigers by wearing black.  Through the @ECUTigers Twitter account you can enter to win one of two prize packs for your best Blackout outfit.  Just send a picture of you in your outfit from the game, with #BlackoutPower, before the start of the men's game, with the winners announced live at half time of the men's game.

Scouting Southeastern
The Savage Storm are 8-9 overall and 4-5 in the league after falling in their last outing to Ouachita Baptist.  The have kept their games close, earning a +1.4 scoring and +1.0 rebounding margin for the season.  They have also compiled a .461 to .404 advantage in overall shooting, while taking 100 fewer shots.

SEOSU has three players that are averaging double-digits and one more at 9.4 points per game.  The quartet accounts for 69 percent of the team's scoring and 57 percent of the rebounds.  Danny Powell leads the team with 16.1 points and 7.3 boards per game.  Taylor Smaller adds 14.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, while netting 60 assists and 23 steals.  Sami Bzai contributes 10.9 points and Darius Harris is at 9.4 points and a team-best 8.7 boards per game.

Against the Savage Storm
Last year the Tigers earned a series sweep of SEOSU by an average of 10.5 points per game.

Senior Henry Pwono led the charge for ECU with 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, while shooting .652 (15-of-23) from the field.  Sophomore A.J. Moutry added 11 points and four rebounds per game for the Tigers.

Taylor Smaller is the top returner for the Savage Storm, with 13 points and four rebounds per game.

The Series
The rivalry between the Tigers and SEOSU can be dated back to the 1927-28 season and is currently sitting at 84-83 in favor of ECU after two wins last season.  The rivalry can be seen in the record when playing in Ada, as the Tigers hold just a 20-19 advantage.

Hill Highlights Off the Bench
Junior Deron Hill came off the bench against Arkansas Tech and gave the Tigers the need spark they needed to earn the road victory.  The Kansas City, Kan., native tallied a career high 15 points, six rebounds, and dished out a career-best seven assists against the Wonder Boys.

Henry Making the Most of Freebies
Senior Henry Pwono had a strong showing for the Tigers against Ouachita Baptist, with 31 points and 19 of those coming at the charity stripe.  The Pittsburg, Pa., native set a school record for the most free throws made in a single game (19) and tied the record for free-throw attempts in a single game (21).  Those numbers helped bump him to No. 4 in the NCAA for free throws attempted (138) and No. 7 in free throws made (103).

Hudgins Big Day
Sophomore Aly Hudgins got a chance to show what he is capable of adding to the Tigers team in the game at Southern Nazarene (Jan. 3).  Hudgins tallied a career-best 14 points, going 5-of-5 from the field and 4-of-5 from the charity stripe.  He also added three rebounds, an assist and a steal.

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.

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 Kerr Activities Center
The Tigers will remain at home to open the second half of GAC action when they host Northwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.