The East Central University men's basketball team will have a full week of Great American Conference games at the Kerr Activities Center, in the first of five games in the final eight at home.  The Tigers will first host Henderson State, Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:30 p.m. and then Arkansas-Monticello, Saturday, Feb. 7 at 3 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.

Scouting Henderson State
The Reddies are 9-10 overall and 6-7 in the GAC after earning a 95-91 win in overtime over UAM Saturday.  HSU is close to its opponents across the season box score, with a -0.6 scoring and +0.3 rebounding margin.

The Reddies have three players that are averaging double-digits in the point's column, with Kevin Kozan leading the team with 14.7 points per game.  He is shooting .451 (92-of-204) from the field and .417 (58-of-139) from beyond the arc.  Reggie Murphy adds 13.7 points and a team-best 6.7 boards per game, while Micah Walker contributes 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

Against the Reddies
Earlier this season the Tigers earned their first win over HSU since both teams have been members of the NCAA, with an 88-75 win in Arkadelphia, Ark.  Free throws were the key to the win for ECU, going 21-of-30 and only allowing an 8-of-16 mark.

Junior Stirling Thomas led the Tigers with 23 points, while senior Henry Pwono tallied a double-double with 23 points and 12 boards and senior Brandon Lucas added 15 points.

Reggie Murphy and Micah Walker led the Reddies.  Murphy garnered 18 points and five boards, while Walker added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

The Series
The series with the Reddies is a tight one, with HSU holding a small 9-8 advantage.  The Tigers will be looking to defend their home court, as they are just 1-3 in meetings in Ada.

Scouting Arkansas-Monticello
The Boll Weevils head into the week with a 5-12 overall record and a 2-11 mark in the GAC.  UAM will face Southern Nazarene before coming to Ada.  The Boll Weevils record is somewhat deceiving, as they have a -2.1 scoring and +0.8 rebounding margin for the season and are close all the columns on the season box.

UAM has a short roster with just nine players this season, with four of those averaging over 10 points per game.  Sharif Hudson is the team's leader with 15.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while shooting .448 from the field and netting 42 assists. Jamal Peterson is next on the list with 13.6 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Against the Boll Weevils
Earlier this season, the Tigers claimed an 84-81 victory over UAM on the road, with the difference being just one more made three and two extra free throws for ECU.

Junior Stirling Thomas and redshirt sophomore Braxton Reeves led the team with 22 points each.

Sharif Hudson contributed 22 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists for the Boll Weevils, while Ali Alexander added 10 points and eight boards.

The Series
The all-time series with UAM dates back to just 2011-12, with UAM holding a 5-2 lead.  However, the Tigers have one the last two games and are now 1-2 when playing at home.

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 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.

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 hit the road for the final two-game road trip of the 2014-15 season when they stop at Southern Arkansas, Thursday, Feb. 12 and Ouachita Baptist, Saturday, Feb. 14.

Up Next at Kerr Activities Center
ECU returns home for the final two-game week in Ada, Feb. 19-21.  The Tigers will host Arkansas Tech (Feb. 19) and Harding (Feb. 21).