ADA – The East Central University men's basketball team fell to Southern Arkansas, 59-63, in the Great American Conference opener at the Kerr Activities Center.

Photo Gallery

The Tigers were led by senior Deron Hill, who garnered 13 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals.  Senior Stirling Thomas added 15 points, three assists and two steals.

ECU got behind early in the opening half, trailing 5-11 with 16:30 left to play.  The Tigers fought back to tie the game at 11 and took a 15-14 lead, with a 10-2 run, over the next three minutes. 

ECU kept the advantage in their favor until the half way point of the stanza.  That is when the Muleriders (2-1, 1-0 GAC) used a 10-0 run to take control for good.

The Tigers kept the disadvantage between three and eight points for the rest of the half, but went into the locker room trailing 29-36.

The second half saw SAU push out to lead by as many as 22.  ECU fought back with several small runs through the half, but could not get the deficit lower than 11 points (62-73) and ended up falling 70-85.

The Muleriders used a strong three-point shooting night to earn the advantage, going 8-of-17 (47.1%) and holding the Tigers to a 2-of-15 (13.3%) mark.

ECU will now get ready for a game against Arkansas-Monticello, Saturday, Nov. 21 at 3 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.