SHAWNEE, OKLA. – The East Central University women's basketball team earned its second-straight game and push the Tigers into sixth in the Great American Conference standings with a 74-67 win over Oklahoma Baptist.

The Tigers (6-8, 5-5 GAC) had three players in double digits in the scoring column, with senior Devon Branch leading the way with 21 points, six rebounds and an assist.  Junior Lakin Preisner added 18 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a steal, while freshman Madison Rehl netted 10 points.

ECU started the game by holding the Bison (9-7, 4-6 GAC) without a field goal until 5:41 remained in the first quarter.  The Tigers took an 11-6 lead in the span, with OBU netting six points at the charity stripe.  The Bison were able to tie the game at 11 over the next minute, but ECU countered with a quick three. 

Both teams then struggled to score over the next three minutes, with free throws by Branch breaking the stalemate, with 1:26 left.  The Tigers kept pushing and finished the quarter on a 7-2 run for the 18-13 advantage.

ECU continued their streak in the first 45 seconds of the second quarter, pushing the lead to 22-13.  The teams traded points and small runs through first six minutes of the stanza.  The Bison then started a 7-0 run to tie the game at 29 (2:04) and take a 30-29 lead, with 25 second left to play.  ECU hit the final shot of the half to take a 31-30 advantage into the locker room.

The third quarter was a tight battle, with neither team leading by more than three and the score being knotted twice.  However, in the final minute the Tigers went on a 5-0 run to own a 49-44 lead.

ECU continued the run into the final stanza, pushing the lead to nine (53-44) in the first 2:30 minutes.  The Bison countered with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit back to four over the next two minutes.  After a three-point play for the Tigers at 5:26, both teams buckled down on defense and held each other scoreless for the next 2:30 minutes. 

The teams kept things close in the remaining three minutes, but ECU's lead was too much for OBU to overcome, giving the Tigers the 74-67 victory.

ECU will wrap up its third game in five days, Saturday, Jan. 20 when they head to Alva, Okla., to face Northwestern Oklahoma State at 1 p.m.