ADA – The East Central University men's basketball team moved into second place in the Great American Conference standings with a 77-75 win over league-leading Ouachita Baptist, at the Kerr Activities Center.

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The Tigers (15-6, 11-4 GAC) saw four players record 10-or-more points in the game and junior Ishmael Donzo tally a career-high 16 rebounds.  Junior Braxton Reeves led the team with 19 points, while senior Deron Hill added 15, senior Stirling Thomas 13 and sophomore Brett Cannon 10.

ECU opened the game with an 8-0 run, but saw Ouachita (12-9, 12-3 GAC) counter with a 5-0 run of its own, all in the first four minutes of action.  The Tigers pushed back ahead, 13-5, before OBU used an 11-4 run to get within one (17-16).  The teams continued to battle and were tied at 20, with 8:32 left to play in the half.

ECU then went up 24-20 only to see Ouachita counter with a 6-1 run to take its first lead of the game (25-26), with 3:30 left on the clock.  ECU tied the game at 26 just seconds later and then went on a 6-3 run over the next two minutes to lead by three (32-29).  The teams traded shots in the final minutes of the stanza and the Tigers went into the locker room with a 34-31 advantage.

ECU started the second half with a 7-2 run and OBU countered with a 5-0 run in the first three minutes to see ECU leading 41-38.  That is when the Tigers took control, going on an 8-0 run over the next four minutes to push out to a double-digit lead.

The teams traded runs for most of the half, with OBU only getting within five points before the final three minutes.  ECU was up 12, with 3:40 left to play, when Ouachita went on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to four (63-59).  The Tigers kept the advantage between four to seven points until the final 1:30.

ECU again pushed out to a nine-point lead, with a 4-0 run and 48 seconds left.  Ouachita tried to mount a comeback in the final time, using a 9-0 run, but still fell 77-75.

Looking at the numbers on the box score, it would seem that OBU should have won the game.  However, the Tigers claimed an important 27-of-39 to 13-of-22 lead in free throws.

ECU will wrap up a three-game home stand, Thursday, Feb. 11 when they host Southwestern Oklahoma State at 7:30 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.