DURANT, OKLA. – After a tight fourth quarter, which saw the East Central University women's basketball team come back from a 12-point deficit to within two, the Tigers fell to arch rival Southeastern Oklahoma State, 51-57, in Great American Conference action.
Photo Gallery
The Tigers (3-10, 2-7 GAC) were led by freshman
Madison Nickens with 11 points and two steals. Senior
Jalyn Jackson added nine points, five boards and four assists, while senior
Whitney Stotler netted eight points and a team-best seven rebounds.
The start of the game was all about defense, with ECU holding the Savage Storm (8-5, 6-3 GAC) scoreless for almost the first five minutes. However, the Tigers only tallied two points of their own in the span. The teams battled through most of the stanza and were knotted at eight with three minutes left. That is when ECU started a 7-3 run to end the quarter with a 15-11 lead.
The second quarter was the opposite of the first, as the Tigers held onto around a five-point lead for the first half of the time. However, it was Southeastern who this time went on a run, using a 10-0 mark in the final 5:45, to take the lead into intermission (20-25).
The Savage Storm kept up the pressure in the third quarter, going on a 9-2 run in the first four minutes, before the Tigers could score their first basket of the half. The teams played even the rest of the stanza, with ECU trailing 33-43 heading into the fourth.
Southeastern had the lead out to 12 in the first three minutes of the stanza, but that is when the Tigers made their push. ECU went on a 10-0 run over the next two minutes to cut the deficit to two (47-49). The teams traded shots for most of the remaining time, but it was late free throws by the Savage Storm that sealed the 51-57 loss.
Free throws seemed to be the key to the decision, as both teams hit close to the same number of overall shots and triples, but Southeastern tallied three more shots from the charity stripe (13-16).
The Tigers will now get a few days rest before playing the final of three-straight road games. ECU will head up to Bethany, Okla., to face Southern Nazarene, Thursday, Jan. 19 at 5:30 p.m.
