ADA – The East Central University women's basketball team used the energy in the blacked out Kerr Activities Center to come from behind and earn a 56-53 victory over arch rival Southeastern Oklahoma State in the final game of the first half of Great American Conference action.

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The Tigers (11-5, 7-3 GAC) were led by senior Dilan Webster, who tallied 21 points, four rebounds, three steals, two assists and one block.  Senior Erin Webster also had a strong showing for ECU, recording her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds.

"I thought we did a good job defensively tonight," said head coach Matt Cole.  "Southeastern presented a match up problem for us and we did a good job limiting rhythm three-point shots.  I'm happy to get the win and hopefully we will continue to get better for the next round of conference play."

The Savage Storm (12-6, 5-6 GAC) opened the game on a hot streak, taking an 11-2 lead in the first eight minutes.  However, the Tigers countered with a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to one (14-15), over the next seven minutes. 

The game remained close through the next three minutes before ECU was able to take its first lead (23-22), with 2:15 left to play.  The battle resumed through the half, with SEOSU earning a small 27-29 lead at the break.

The Tigers came out of the locker room ready to push the tempo and quickly tied the game at 29.  The game remained tight for most of the half, with ECU earning the largest lead of the half at six points, with 4:24 left to play.  The Savage Storm them attempted a come-back, dropping the deficit to just one point (50-49) with a 5-0 run over the next minute.

SEOSU kept fighting and were able to tie the game at 53 with 24 seconds left on the clock.  However, senior Janee Garza took advantage of three of her four trips to the charity stripe and the Tigers were benefited when the Savage Storm missed two attempts of their own.  That allowed ECU to take the 56-53 victory.

The Tigers will now jump right into the second half of Great American Conference action when they host Northwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.