DALLAS, TEXAS – The East Central University men's basketball team come home with a hard fought, 98-94, win over Dallas Baptist in non-conference road action.

The Tigers (3-2, 1-1 GAC) were led by senior Stirling Thomas, who garnered 36 points and five rebounds.  Junior Ben Brown-White added the third ECU double-double of the year, with 14 points and 10 boards, while junior Donovan Halsel contributed 20 points.

"I am really proud of the effort by the team tonight," said head coach Ja Havens.  "We had foul trouble and a lot of things to overcome, but we made the plays down the stretch to hold off Dallas Baptist."

The opening half was a close battle, with eight tie scores and six lead changes.  The Patriots (2-2) opened the game with a 5-0 run, but that was quickly erased by ECU.  In the final four minutes the teams were knotted at 38, but the DBU out-scored the Tigers 8-4 to take a 42-46 lead into the locker room.

ECU came out fighting in the second half, using a 7-0 run in the first minute to gain a 49-46 advantage.  The Tigers kept the lead or were tied over the next four minutes, as they held DBU without a field goal over a six-minute span.  The Patriots kept the score close and took a small lead during the span by making 17-of-20 free throw attempts.

When DBU did get back into a grove, they rattled off six-straight points to take a 65-70 lead over the next 2:30.  The Tigers came back with a 7-0 run of their own to regain a 72-70 advantage over the next minute of play.  ECU continued to increase its momentum over the next five minutes to push the lead out to 11 (85-74).

The Patriots did not give up and fought back within four (92-88) in the final minute of action.  The push was again spurred on by free throws, with ECU going 11-of-15 and DBU 9-of-11 in the final four minutes.  The game was close through the final minute, but junior Braxton Reeves hit two key free throws in the final five seconds to secure the 98-94 win.

The teams combined for almost 100 free-throw attempts, with the Tigers going 35-of-47 and the Patriots 40-of-50 for the night.  ECU also earned a key advantage from beyond the arc, shooting 50 percent (7-of-14), while holding DBU to 18.2 percent (4-of-22).

The Tigers will now get over a week off before hitting the road to face their next two Great American Conference opponents, Dec. 3-5 in Arkadelphia, Ark.  ECU will face Henderson State, Thursday, Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. and then Ouachita Baptist, Saturday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m.