ST. LOUIS, MO. – The East Central University men's basketball team got on the right side of the scoreboard for the first time in the 2016-17 season, claiming a 72-46 victory over Missouri-St. Louis in the opening day of the Marriott St. Louis Airport Classic.

The Tigers (1-4, 0-2 GAC) saw four players scoring in double-figures, with freshman Camron Talley leading the team with 15.  Talley added two assists, one rebound and a steal.  Senior Braxton Reeves earned 11 points, while seniors KD Moore and Donovan Halsel netted 10 each.  Moore led the team with four rebounds, as all but two of the 12 who saw action earned at least one board.

After having close to a week off, ECU jumped right back on the court and took a 7-0 lead in the first three minutes of the game.  The Tigers kept up the pressure and held the Tritons (3-2) under double-digits until 6:45 remained in the opening half.  ECU tallied 27 points of their own for a 19-point advantage.  The Tigers kept the lead over 10 the rest of the stanza and went into the locker room with a 37-25 advantage.

The teams battled at the beginning of the second half, but after the first three minutes, UMSL made a push and was able to cut the deficit to under 10 (43-34), but only to nine points.  The Tigers countered with a 7-0 run to increase the lead back to 16 over the next three minutes.  ECU kept pushing and had the advantage out to as many as 21 during the half before claiming the 72-46 win.

The Tigers took advantage of a strong shooting day, hitting 51 (25-of-49) percent of their shots and 52.6 (10-of-19) of those beyond the arc.  ECU also went 12-of-13 from the charity stripe and held UMSL to 30.2 (13-of-43) percent shooting.

The Tigers will wrap up the Marriott St. Louis Airport Classic, Saturday, Nov. 26 at 5:15 p.m. against Maryville before coming home to play their first game on Wayne Cobb Court, Dec. 1.