RUSSELLVILLE, ARK. – The East Central University women's basketball team had a strong first half, but a cold second half, resulting in a 68-53 loss to Arkansas Tech in Great American Conference action.

The Tigers (6-11, 6-8 GAC) were led by junior Lakin Preisner, who tallied 13 points, six rebounds and two assists.  Senior Aaliyah Blakley added seven points, eight rebounds, three assists and a steal.

The first quarter started slow, with just five points scored in the first two minutes, with ECU leading 3-2.  The teams then traded points and runs until 4:30 minutes remained in the stanza.  The Tigers led 11-8, but the Golden Suns (15-2, 11-2 GAC) used an 11-2 run in the reaming time to take a 19-14 advantage.

ATU opened the second quarter with a 5-0 run to push the lead out to 10 (24-14), with seven minutes left to play.  ECU then came alive, using a 14-2 run over the next six minutes to tie the game at 28.  The Golden Suns earned the final three points of the half to take a 31-28 lead into the locker room.

The third quarter was a back-and-forth battle, with the teams trading runs throughout.  However, it was a 13-4 run by ATU in the final 3:30 minutes pushed its lead out to 54-43 heading into the fourth stanza.

While the teams traded triples in the opening two minutes of the game, the Golden Suns then caught fire and went on an 11-0 run until the final 1:30 to secure the win.  The Tigers finished the game on a 7-0 run, but fell 68-53.

ECU will now return home to the Kerr Activities Center for the next two games, starting with a Thursday, Feb. 1 outing against Arkansas-Monticello at 5:30 p.m.