ADA, Okla. – Despite trailing for 75.5 percent of the game, the East Central University men's basketball team came back late in the second half to claim a 64-60 Great American Conference victory over Southern Arkansas at the Kerr Activities Center.

Scoring

• 1^st Half: 24-31
  • The Tigers (11-2, 5-2 GAC) started the game on a 5-0 run in the first 2:15
  • The Muleriders (5-8, 2-5 GAC) then went on a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to take the lead for the rest of the half
  • SAU pushed the lead out to 11 (25-14) over the next 9 minutes
  • ECU fought back with a 5-0 run in the next 2 minutes to cut the deficit to 6
  • Kept the disadvantage between 7-10 for the remainder of the stanza
• 2^nd Half: 40-29
  • The Muleriders kept the advantage around 10 points for the first 4 minutes
  • The Tigers then started to push and were able to cut the lead to 5 over the next 2 minutes
  • Lead was at 7 (45-38) for SAU, with 14 minutes left on the clock
  • ECU used a 5-0 run in the next 3 minutes to cut the lead to 2 (45-43)
  • SAU followed with a 6-1 run to push the advantage back to 7, with 8 minutes left
  • The Tigers then took control and used a 7-0 run to tie the game at 51 (6:28)
  • The teams traded shots over the next 1:30 minutes, with the Muleriders holding a 54-53 advantage
  • ECU then went on a 5-0 run over the next minute to gain its first lead since the first half (3:36 remaining)
  • The Tigers kept the lead for the rest of the game
    • Lead by as many as 6 (61-55) and as little as 2 (61-59) until 2 minutes remained
  • No team scored in the next minute
  • Final minute of the game was all about free throws
    • ECU 3-of-4 / SAU 1-of-2

Tiger Quick Shots

• Free throws ended up being the difference in the game
  • FG: ECU 21-of-51 (41.2%) / SAU 21-of-66 (31.8%)
  • 3PT FG: ECU 5-of-18 (27.8%) / SAU 4-of-24 (16.7%)
  • FG: ECU 17-of-26 (65.4%) / SAU 14-of-24 (58.3%)
• Sr. Camron Talley lead a group of three-players with double-digit point totals
  • 19 pts., 4 reb., 1 assist, 3-of-3 FT
    • 2 pts. In the first half
    • Season high for rebounds
• Sr. Zac Neely: 12 pts., 5 reb., 50.0 (3-of-6) FG%, 6-of-6 FT
  • Career high for free throws made
• So. Tylor Arnold: 11 pts., 3 reb., 2 assists, 1 steal, 50.0 (5-of-10) FG%, 1-of-1 FT
• Jr. Josh Apple led the team on the boards
  • 5 pts., 8 reb., 66.7 (2-of-3) FG%

Up Next

• The Tigers will wrap up a two-game home stand, Saturday, Jan. 11
  • Face Arkansas-Monticello at 3 p.m.
    • UAM is currently first in the GAC at 5-1
    • ECU is tied for second with Henderson State at 5-2
• The Tigers will then hit the road for the next four games
  • Thursday, Jan. 16 at Southeastern (7:30 p.m.)
  • Saturday, Jan. 18 at Southern Nazarene (3 p.m.)
  • Thursday, Jan. 23 at Henderson State (7:30 p.m.)
  • Saturday, Jan. 25 at Ouachita Baptist (3 p.m.)