ADA – A dunk from senior
Ishmael Donzo on a dish from senior
Braxton Reeves with 7.7 seconds left secured the East Central University men's basketball 76-73 victory over Arkansas Tech in Great American Conference action at the Kerr Activities Center.
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The win gave the Tigers (20-7, 16-5 GAC) their third-straight 20-win season and allowed the GAC to have three 20-win teams in the same season for the first time in league history. The win also moved ECU back into a tie with the Wonder Boys (20-5, 16-5 GAC) for second in the GAC standings, just one game behind Arkansas-Monticello, with one game left in the regular season.
The Tigers were led by Reeves, who tallied 17 points, six boards and three assists. Junior
Jeremiah Fleming added a career-best 12 points, while senior
Aly Hudgins added a season-best 12 points. Donzo led the team on the glass, with 11 rebounds and added seven points and two blocks.
The teams started the game in a back-and-forth battle, with ATU taking the first advantage by using a 13-2 run for an 8-19 lead. ECU slowly cut into the deficit through the first half and eventually used a 10-2 run (4:00-1:15) to tie the game at 35. The teams then traded points, with the Wonder Boys holding a 37-38 lead at the half.
The second half started tight, with the teams trading the lead, but ATU was again able to push ahead by 11 in the first eight minutes. That is when the Tigers started their come-back, using a 13-4 run over the next four minutes to tie the game at 64, with 7:30 left to play.
The Wonder Boys countered with a 6-0 run in the next 2:30, but ECU was again able to tie the game at 73 on a Reeves put-back, with just under a minute left. ATU missed a three on the other end of the court and that set up the dunk-and-one by Donzo with 7.7 left on the clock.
Donzo made the free throw for the three-point advantage. The win was then secured with the Wonder Boys missed a free throw with 1.4 left, with a rebound by Donzo.
The game came down to overall made shots, with ECU make three more (28-25) than ATU and shooting 41.2 percent to 38.5 percent.
The Tigers will now get ready for the final regular-season game of the 2016-17 season, Saturday, Feb. 25 at 3 p.m. against Harding in the Kerr Activities Center. Before the game ECU will honor its six seniors and the two women's basketball seniors.
