RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – After having last week off due to postponements, the East Central University men's basketball team returned to action with a make-up game against Arkansas Tech, the first of two-straight games with the Wonder Boys (6-8, 3-5 GAC), with the Tigers (6-10, 4-6 GAC) falling 81-61 at Tucker Coliseum.

Scoring

• 1^st Half: 26-35
  • Neither team scored in the first two minutes of the game
    • ATU was the first to get on the scoreboard (17:54)
  • ECU followed with a 6-0 run over the next minutes
  • The Wonder Boys countered with a 7-0 run to gain a 9-6 advantage
  • The Tigers quickly tied the game at 9 and then saw at tie at 11, with 12 minutes remaining
  • Both teams went scoreless again for the next 1:30
    • ATU then started a 4-0 run to push the lead to 4 (15-11)
  • The Wonder Boys kept up the pressure and increased the lead to 13, with 4:30 minutes left on the clock (25-14)
  • ECU followed with a 5-0 run to get the deficit to 9 (23-31) over the next 2:30 minutes
  • The teams traded shots through the remaining time on the clock
• 2^nd Half: 25-46 (61-81)
  • The teams traded points through the first two minutes
  • ATU then went on a 9-0 run to increase the lead to 16 (46-30), with 16 minutes left to play
  • The Wonder Boys continued to push the tempo during the game
    • Led by as many as 31 (73-42), with 5:18 left to play
  • The Tigers fought back with an 11-0 run over the next three minutes to cut the deficit to 20 (76-56)
  • The difference in the score remained around 20 the rest of the game

Tiger Quick Shots

• Both teams had strong shooting percentages overall, with the key difference coming beyond the arc
  • FG: ECU 25-of-61 (41%) / ATU 34-of-56 (61%)
  • 3PT FG: ECU 5-of-25 (20%) / ATU 9-of-17 (53%)
  • FT: ECU 6-of-10 (60%) / ATU 4-of-6 (67%)
• RSR. Josh Apple led a group of three players with double-digit point totals
  • Apple: 15 pts., 6 reb., 2 assists, 1 block, 2 steals, 5-of-12 FG
  • So. Shemar Smith: 12 pts., 4 reb., 1 assist, 1 block, 5-of-10 FG, 2-of-2 FT
  • Fr. AJ Ferguson: 10 pts., 2 reb., 1 assist, 1 steal, 5-of-6 FG
• Sr. Reggie Crawford, Sr., had a career game
  • 8 pts., 2 reb., 1 assist, 3of-5 FG, 2-of-4 3PT FG
    • Career high for points, field goals made and three-point field goals made

Up Next

• The Tigers and the Wonder Boys will face each other on Thursday, Jan. 27 in Ada, Okla.
  • Game was originally set to be played on Jan. 1, 2022
• ECU will continue their three-game home stand
  • Saturday, Jan. 29 vs. Harding – 3 p.m.
  • Thursday, Feb. 3 vs. Southeastern Oklahoma State – 7:30 p.m.
    • Annual Black Out game
• The Tigers were forced to reschedule both games set to be played last week
  • at Henderson State – Monday, Feb. 14 – 6 p.m.
  • at Ouachita Baptist – Monday, Feb. 22 – 6 p.m.