SHAWNEE, Okla. – The East Central University men's basketball team trimmed a 30-point deficit down to just four in the final minute but came up short of completing the comeback in a 62-56 loss to the University of Minnesota Crookston on Friday afternoon in the 2023-24 season opener at the GAC-NSIC Challenge.
 
"Give Crookston credit. They came out from the start and played well," Head Coach Daniel Wheeler said. "We took too long to get going and it cost us today. We had opportunities throughout the game and did not take advantage of it. We have a quick turnaround and play again tomorrow against a good Duluth team. We will learn from this and get better."
 
The Golden Eagles were off to a fast start and took control early, establishing a 6-0 lead before the Tigers found themselves in a daunting situation trailing by 27 points (38-11) with three minutes remaining until halftime. ECU finally started to find their footing with a jumper from Godsgift Ezedinma sparking a 9-0 scoring run to cut the deficit to 38-20, but the Tigers still faced a substantial challenge going into the second half.
 
Despite whatever momentum ECU built at the end of the first half, Minnesota Crookston stole it right back in the second half as they extended their lead to 30 points at 52-22, holding the Tigers scoreless for seven minutes.
 
Nevertheless, the Tigers mounted a comeback, this time holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for four minutes while they went on a 12-0 run to cut the lead to just 15 points.
 
ECU continued to fight, embarking on an impressive 14-0 run with three-pointers from Robel Desta, Nikk Williams, Bryce Woolridge, and Mason Jones, along with a layup from Keyon Thomas. Suddenly, the Tigers were back in the game trailing by only four points at 60-56 with 34 seconds left on the clock.
 
The Tigers had a chance to cut the lead to just a possession, but the Golden Eagles managed a crucial steal in the final moments, ultimately securing the 62-56 victory.
 
Two Tigers finished in double figures – Bryce Woolridge and Nikk Williams. Woolridge dropped 14 points going 5-for-8 from the field and adding six rebounds while Williams was right behind with 11 points and had a team-high eight rebounds in his college debut.
 
The ECU men's basketball team will conclude the GAC-NSIC tournament with a game against Minnesota Duluth tomorrow at 3 pm.