ARKADELPHIA, ARK. – The East Central University women's basketball team rebounded after Thursday's loss, defeating Henderson State, 63-53, in Great American Conference road action.
The Tigers (7-12, 6-9 GAC) saw three players recorded double-digits in the point's column, while junior
Aalyiah Blakley earned her first double-double of the season. Blakley tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds, while adding an assist and a .800 (4-of-5) shooting percentage. Senior
Jalyn Jackson netted a season-best 16 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and five steals.
The game started as a low scoring back-and-forth battle, with the Reddies (7-14, 7-7 GAC) earning a 6-8 lead in the first 4:30. However, that is when ECU took over for the rest of the quarter, using a 10-0 run to end the quarter leading 16-8.
The Tigers continued the run with the first four points of the second quarter to push the lead to 12 (20-8) in the first minute. HSU fought back and was able to cut the deficit to six (24-18) over the next three minutes. The teams then traded shots the rest of the half, with ECU holding a 35-27 lead at the intermission.
The Reddies came out strong in the second half and cut the lead to two (33-35), in the first four minutes. However, the Tigers quickly pushed the lead back to seven over the next minute. The play was pretty even the rest of the stanza, with HSU earning the last three points for a 44-40 score.
The Reddies again cut the deficit to two, with the first shot of the final quarter. But an 8-0 run by ECU over a five-minute span pushed the Tigers' lead back to double-digits (55-44). The final minutes were a back-and-forth battle, but ECU was able to end the game with a 63-53 victory.
The Tigers claimed a clear advantage in made shots to earn the win, hitting 36.5 percent (23-63) of their shots to 29.6 (16-54) percent by HSU. ECU also earned a 45-39 lead in rebounding, which including a 10-7 mark on the offensive glass.
The Tigers will now get to return home for two of the next three games, facing Oklahoma Baptist, Thursday, Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Kerr Activities Center.
