The East Central University will start the second half the Great American Conference schedule, Saturday, Jan. 24 when they host Northwestern Oklahoma State at 3 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.

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.

Scouting Northwestern
The Rangers are 5-12 overall and 4-6 in the GAC after winning their last game at home.  However, NWOSU is 2-7 when playing on the road this season.  The Rangers have a -10.8 scoring and -4.4 rebounding margin for the season and trail their opponents in the shooting percentage columns as well.  NWOSU is making 38.4 percent of their overall shots and just 30.9 percent of their three's, while allowing 47.1 percent and 41.2 percent of shots by the opposition.

The Rangers have four players that account for a majority of their scoring.  T'aries Taylor leads the team with 12.4 points and 2.9 boards per game, while shooting .430 from the field and .377 from beyond the arc.  Adrian Motley is next with 11.5 points and 7.4 rebounds per game.  Darrian Dempsey adds 10.9 points and Laakeem Henderson nets 10.0 points per game, with 105 of his 179 total shot attempts coming from three-point range.

Against the Rangers
The Tigers earned a 73-68 win on the road earlier this season against the Rangers, with the key coming from three-point range.  ECU made 11 triples and held NWOSU to seven.

Junior Stirling Thomas had a strong game for the Tigers, with 21 points and five assists.  Senior Henry Pwono added 15 points and eight rebounds, while redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves added 16 points.

The Rangers had four players in double-digits, with T'aries Taylor leading the way with 16.  Adrian Motley added 15 points and a team-best nine rebounds.

The Series
The Tigers have a strong 87-51 lead in the all-time series with NWOSU, but they have met just five previous times since ECU became an NCAA member.  The series dates back to the 1927-28 season and the Tigers are 16-7 when playing at home against the Rangers.

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
The Tigers will prepare for a light schedule next week, with their only game being a road contest at Southwestern Oklahoma State, Saturday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m.

Up Next at Kerr Activities Center
ECU will return home to the friendly confines of the Kerr Activities Center the following week for two games.  The Tigers will first host Henderson State (Feb. 5) and then battle Arkansas-Monticello (Feb. 7).