KINGSVILLE, TEXAS – The East Central University women's basketball team came out of the Texas A&M-Kingsville Classic with a 1-1 record after earning a 59-58 victory over Tampa.

The Tigers (1-1) saw five players record double-digits in the points column, with junior Alexa Adair and junior Devon Branch leading the team with 12.  Adair added seven rebounds and two steals, while Branch netted five boards.  Seniors Whitney Stotler and Jalyn Jackson and junior Aalyiah Blakley each contributed 10 points, with Jackson adding six rebounds and five assists.

The Spartans (0-1) were the first to score, but ECU responded with a 5-0 run, to take the lead for the rest of the half.  Tampa cut the disadvantage back to one (5-4), with 6:57 left in the first quarter, but the Tigers countered with another 5-0 run to push the lead back to six (10-4). 

After a layup by the Spartans at the mid-way point of the stanza, both teams went cold and didn't score again for the next two minutes.  ECU was the first to break the drought and ended the first quarter with a 7-3 run and the 17-9 lead.

Tampa came out from the huddle in the second quarter on a mission and cut the deficit to one (21-20) in the first four minutes, with an 11-4 run.  The rest of the stanza went in favor of the Tigers, with ECU using a 10-4 run to take a 31-24 lead into the break.

The teams traded points and runs in the third quarter, but the closest that the Spartans could get was one (40-39), with four minutes on the clock.  The battled played through the stanza, with the Tigers holding a 43-41 lead at the end.

Tampa tied the game 15 seconds into the final quarter, but ECU pushed the lead back out to six (51-45), with an 8-2 run in the next three minutes.  The Tigers kept control of the score for the next three minute, but with 4:09 left to play the Spartans started a 6-0 run that tied the game at 54, with 2:47 to play.

The teams traded triples in the next minute and ECU regained the lead on a Stotler layup, with 21 seconds left.  Tampa missed a shot in the final 10 seconds, but was then sent to the free-throw line, with four ticks left, for a chance to tie.  The Spartans made the first shot, but missed the second and Stotler pulled in the rebound.

Tampa then fouled the Tigers three times in the final second of play in an attempt to steal the ball, but ECU held on for the 59-58 victory.

The teams were close in most statistical categories, with the key difference coming from beyond the arc.  The Tigers finished with an 11-of-33 (33.3%) mark, while holding Tampa to just an 8-of-23 (34.8%) mark.

ECU will now get ready for the start of the Great American Conference portion of the season, as they travel to face Southern Arkansas (Nov. 17/5:30 p.m.) and Arkansas-Monticello (Nov. 19, 1 p.m.) next weekend.