DULUTH, Minn. – The East Central University men's basketball teams first game of the 2021-22 season was a nail-bitter, with the decision coming down to a last second shot.  The Tigers (0-1) ended up falling 72-70 to Minnesota-Crookston in the first game of the American Family Insurance Classic.

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Scoring

• 1^st Half: 23-34
  • The Eagles (1-0) took a 4-0 lead in the first 2:30 minutes
  • ECU fought back and tied the game at 7, with 15:37 remaining
  • UMC then took control for the rest of the half, with a 7-2 run in the next three minutes
  • The Eagles pushed the lead to as many as 15 (29-14)
  • The Tigers kept fighting and cut the deficit to 11 by the end of the stanza
• 2^nd Half: 47-38 (70-72)
  • The deficit remained around 10 through the first four minutes
  • ECU then started their come-back, using an 8-0 run in the next two minutes to get within two (44-42)
  • The Tigers kept up the pressure and were able to knot the game at 48, with 10:15 left to play
    • A back-and-forth battle was started
  • ECU gained its first lead of the game with 7:57 remaining (54-51)
  • With three minutes left the game was tied at 61
    • No team led by more than on possession the rest of the stanza
  • Final tie came with 15 seconds left (70), when Sr. Jalen Crutchfield hit a three
  • The Eagles got the final chance and with 0.1 remaining hit a jumper to claim the win

Tiger Quick Shots

• ECU is now 54-39 in the opening games of the year, dating back to the 1927-28 campaign
• UMC gained a clear advantage on offense
  • Shot 49.1% (28-of-57) for the game / 33.3% (7-of-21) from beyond the arc
  • Held the Tigers to a 38.3% (23-of-60) mark / 36.8% (7-of-19) from three-point range
• ECU was also out-rebounded 40-28
• The Tigers defense was strong, recording 12 steals and only allowing 2
  • Forced 20 turnovers by the Eagles (Committed just 10)
• ECU saw double-digit point totals from three players
  • Sr. Jalen Crutchfield: 26 pts., 6 reb., 1 assist, 4 steals, .667 (10-of-15) FG%, .625 (5-of-8) 3PT FG%
    • Career-high for points, steals, field goals made and three-point field goals made
  • RSr. Josh Apple: 22 pts., 3 reb., 2 assists, 1 steal, .500 (7-of-14) FG%
  • Jr. Ellis Lee, Jr.: 11 pts., 2 reb., 100.0 (7-of-7) FT%
• Sr. Romello Wilbert added 6 rebounds and 3 steals
  • Career high for steals
• RFr. Brennan Burns added a career high 3 steals
• All but two of the nine players that saw action scored and all but one earned a rebound

Up Next

• The Tigers will stay in Duluth, Minn., for the next game of the season
  • Saturday, Nov. 13 vs. Minnesota Duluth – 4 p.m.
• ECU will then travel to face Dallas Baptist, Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 7 p.m.