In the second of two-straight key Great American Conference games, the East Central University men's basketball team will welcome league-leading Ouachita Baptist to the Kerr Activities Center, Saturday, Jan. 10 for a 3 p.m. tip-off.

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 Ouachita Baptist
OBU is currently at the top of the GAC standings, with a 9-2 overall and 5-1 mark in the league after winning its last four games.  Saturday's game will be just the fourth on the road for Ouachita this season.

OBU has produced a +11.8 scoring and +5.7 rebounding margin for the season and has a .461 to .407 advantage in overall shooting percentage.  While Ouachita has tallied more points in both halves than its opponents it has allowed teams to come back in the second stanza this season.  OBU has allowed 333 points in the first half and then 418 (+85) in the second, while only scoring 39 more points themselves (421/460).

Ouachita has four players that account for 63 percent of the points, 50 percent of the rebounds, 58 percent of the shots taken and 66 percent of the triples taken; with all four averaging over 10 points per game.  Tirrell Brown leads the team with 17.8 points and 7.2 boards per game, while shooting .724 (63-87) from the floor.  Colt Fason adds 12.7 points and 8.2 rebounds, Justin McCleary is netting 12.6 points per game and Micha Delph adds 10.9 points.

Against the Tigers
Last year, ECU earned wins in both battle of the Tigers meetings by an average of 19 points per game.  OBU had a clear rebounding margin (10.5).

Senior Henry Pwono led the team in the two games, with 19 points and seven rebounds per outing, while shooting .550.  Senior Brandon Lucas added 14.5 points and four boards per game, while shooting .625 from the field and .500 from beyond the arc.

Colt Fason and Michah Delph were the top producers for Ouachita in the series.  Fason garnered 17 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, while Delph contributed 15.5 points and five rebounds per outing.

The Series
ECU currently holds an 11-6 lead in the all-time series after claiming wins in the last three games.  The streak includes two during the 2013-14 season.

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.

Returning Power
While most, including the ECU coaching staff, expected to lose senior Henry Pwono at the end of the 2013-14 season that is not the case.  Pwono had a redshirt available from his season at Seaton Hill and it was approved by the NCAA, so Pwono will be back on the court for the Tigers after averaging 11.9 points and 6.6 boards per game a year ago.  Pwono ended the season with three-straight games where he recorded over 20 points.

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 return to the road for two conference games next week at Harding (Jan. 15) and Arkansa Tech (Jan. 17).

Up Next at Kerr Activities Center
ECU will then return home for the final two games of the first half of GAC action, including the Blackout the Power of the Storm game against Southeastern Oklahoma State, Jan. 22 at 7:30 p.m.