The East Central University men's basketball team will wrap up the 2014-15 regular season with a road game at arch rival Southeastern Oklahoma State, Thursday, Feb. 26 and then a home game, Saturday, Feb. 28 against Southern Nazarene at 7:30 p.m.

Game Notes

The Broadcast
ECU's radio home for Tigers basketball in 2014-15 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.

Busy Saturday
Saturday's game will be jam packed with events, starting with a men's and women's basketball reunion.  All former ECU basketball players have been invited back to the Kerr Activities Center to help honor this year's seniors (two men's; five women's) that will be honored between games.  The game is also the annual White Out  game sponsored by Pi Kappa Alpha and will benefit a veteran's organization.

Scouting Southeastern
The Savage Storm are 13-13 overall and 9-9 in the Great American Conference standings after dropping their last two games.  Southeastern have kept things close on the season box to go along with their tight record, compiling a +1.1 scoring and -3.3 rebounding margin on the year.  The second half has been tough for the Savage Storm, as they have garnered just 84 more points from the first, while allowing 173 more.

Southeastern has four players that are averaging double-digit point totals for the year.  Taylor Smaller leads the team with 16.2 points and 3.6 boards per game, while adding 93 assists.  Danny Powell is netting 15.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, but has not played since Feb. 7.  Sami Bzai is averaging 11.1 points per game and Darius Harris nets 10.0 per game.

Against the Savage Storm
The Tigers claimed a 74-60 win over SEOSU earlier this season at the Kerr Activities Center, with free throws being key to the win.  ECU went 17-of-22 from the line, while only allowing a 7-of-9 mark for the Savage Storm.

Senior Henry Pwono led the Tigers with 22 points, 14 rebounds and four assists.  Junior Stirling Thomas added 21 points and five boards, while sophomore Braxton Reeves contributed 19 points.

Darius Harris and Taylor Smaller were the top producers for SEOSU, with 17 points each.

The Series
One of the longest rivalries in the state of Oklahoma is currently setting in favor of the Tigers at 85-83 after ECU has won the last three games.

Scouting Southern Nazarene
The Crimson Storm is 13-12 overall and 9-10 in the GAC after losing its last game.  SNU will have an advantage on Saturday, as they will be idle on Thursday.  The Crimson Storm have kept things close in all areas of the box score, including a -0.5 scoring and -2.4 rebounding margin for the year.

SNU has three players that are averaging double-digits in the point's column, with LB Willis leading the way with 14.0 points and 5.4 boards per game.  Francisco Hukill adds 11.7 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.  The final member of the group is CJ Rodriguez, with 11.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Against the Crimson Storm
In the first meeting this season, the Tigers claimed a 78-75 win over SNU on the road, marking the first time since the early 1980's that ECU had won when playing in Bethany.

The Tigers had a strong overall game, with five players netting double-digits in points.  Sophomore Braxton Reeves led the charge with 17 points and six rebounds, while senior Henry Pwono added 14 points and eight rebounds.

The Crimson Storm also had an all-around performance, with four players with over 10 points in the game.  LB Willis was the leader of the group with 16 points, three boards and seven assists.

The Series
While the series with the Crimson Storm and the Tigers is only getting ready for its 18th game, the series is highly contested, with SNU leading 8-9.

Braxton Player of the Week
Redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves has picked up his first GAC honor, as he was named the GAC Men's Basketball Player of the Week for Jan. 26.  Reeves helped the Tigers move into a first-place tie as he averaged 20.5 points in wins against Southeastern Oklahoma State and Northwestern Oklahoma State. Against the Savage Storm, he scored 19 points and hit five three-point field goals. Against the Rangers, he scored 22 points with five more three-point field goals. He added three steals.

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 Pittsburgh, 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.

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.

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 at Kerr Activities Center
ECU will wrap up the regular season at home against Southern Nazarene in a rare night Saturday game.  The Tigers will face the Crimson Storm at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 28 on the annual Senior Night.  Before the start of the men's game the Tigers will honor their two seniors, Brandon Lucas and Henry Pwono.