SHAWNEE, OKLA. – The East Central University men's basketball team lost 83-80 to Oklahoma Baptist University in Great American Conference action. 

The Tigers (9-5, 7-3 GAC) had five of their eight players record double-digit point totals, with senior Jeremiah Fleming leading the team with 18 points.  Junior Da'Rion King added 15 points, senior Brett Cannon 13 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, while sophomore Camron Talley and junior Jamey Woods each netting 12.

The game started out tight for the first two minutes, with the Bison (7-9, 4-6 GAC) leading 5-4.  However, that is when ECU turned up the heat and went on a 16-4 run over the next 7:30 minutes (without an OBU field goal) to push the lead to 11 (20-9).  The Bison countered with a 5-0 run of their own in the next 30 seconds, but an 8-0 run by the Tigers over the following two minutes pushed the lead to 14 (28-14).


ECU kept the lead between nine and 14 points for most of the remaining time, but in the final two minutes the Tigers used a 5-0 run, in a 30-second span, to push the advantage to 16 (43-27).  The Bison scored the final four points of the half for a 43-31 lead heading into the locker room.

OBU started the second half with an 11-2 run in the first four minutes to cut the deficit to three (45-42) before ECU was able to hit a field goal.  The Tigers scored the next five points to push the lead back to seven, in the next 30 seconds.  The teams then kept things close over the next 3:30 minutes, with ECU holding the lead between six and nine points.

OBU then took over and used an 18-0 run over the next six minutes to regain the lead, 71-62.  The Tigers countered with an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to one (71-70) over the next two minutes to set up a back-and-forth battle in the final 3:30 of the game.

The Bison won the battle at the free-throw line, scoring their next four points at the charity to push the lead to five (77-72).  Woods and Talley both hit triples in the final 30 seconds of the game to keep ECU close. 
However, the Tigers were forced to foul and OBU took advantage hitting six free throws to keep the lead and secure the 83-80 win.

The Tigers will remain on the road for the next three games, starting Saturday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. in Alva, Okla., against Northwestern Oklahoma State.