ADA, Okla. – The East Central University men's basketball team opened Great American Conference play with a 68-52 victory over Northwestern Oklahoma State University on Thursday night in the Kerr Activities Center.
 
The win improves the Tigers' record to 4-2 overall and 1-0 on GAC play.
 
"It was a good win for us to open conference play," Head Coach Daniel Wheeler said. "I thought our effort on the defensive end was really good. That has to continue to be who we are. We also had some key guys step up and make plays on offense. I am really proud again of the resiliency of this group of men."
 
Northwestern started the game on a 7-0 run before a triple by Keyon Thomas spurred a comeback for ECU. Over the game's next minutes, the Tigers rallied with an 11-point streak, claiming their first lead of the game 16-13 halfway through the first half. The Rangers briefly regained the lead at 22-16 with 6:37 left on the clock, but ECU responded with defensive stops and timely scoring to enter the halftime ahead at 32-27, courtesy of a buzzer-beating tip-in layup by Mohamed Elgohary.
 
The second half saw both teams exchanging leads, with the score tied twice and the lead changing four times in a competitive nine-minute stretch. But a pivotal a three-pointer by Godsgift Ezedinma put the Tigers back up 48-45, a lead they would maintain for the remainder of the game. ECU's 14-0 scoring run secured a commanding 62-47 advantage over Northwestern, enabling them to sustain a double-digit lead for the final four minutes, eventually sealing the 68-52 victory in front of the home crowd.

"Thank you again for our fans who came out tonight," exrpessed Wheeler. "It is much appreciated. We hope to see you Saturday!"
 
The Tigers shot 53.5% from the field, 43.8% from deep, and 65.2% from the charity stripe with 25 rebounds and 12 assists.
 
The senior duo of Keyon Thomas and Godsgift Ezedinma combined for 42 Tiger points, with Thomas posting 22 on 7-for-12 shooting and adding eight assists while Ezedinma recorded 20 on 7-for-11 shooting, including 3-for-7 from the three.
 
Mason Jones tallied 10 points going 3-for-5 from the field and Mohamed Elgohary secured a team-leading eight rebounds to go with six points and an assist.
 
The ECU men's basketball team will return to the Kerr Activities Center for a GAC matchup against Southern Nazarene University on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3 pm.