ADA, Okla. – The East Central University women's basketball team trailed by two points early in the fourth quarter, but the Tigers' second-half comeback came up short as ECU fell 74-58 in the Great American Conference opener on Thursday night in Ada.
 
Despite the loss, the evening ended as a special one for senior guard Mackenzie Crusoe who surpassed her 1,000^th career point as a Tiger, making her the 15^th member in program history to achieve such a feat.
 
"I am very proud of Kenzie," Head Coach Heather Hurt said. "Scoring 1,000 points is not easy. She gives great effort and does so many things right and that is why she surpassed 1,000 points tonight."
 
Crusoe and Jayden Weiberg combined for 39 points in the defeat as ECU fell to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in GAC play.
 
Although the Tigers drilled 12 three-pointers and had their best shooting percentage in the fourth quarter, Northwestern maintained control, with their lead proving to be insurmountable.
 
"We could never get into the flow on the offensive end," said Hurt. "Northwestern's pressure in their zone caused us a lot of problems. When we scored, we could not get stops on the defensive end."
 
Weiberg had a standout performance, recording a team-high and career-high 22 points by knocking down seven triples. Meanwhile, Crusoe contributed significantly on both ends of the court, securing 17 points while registering a team-high and career-high 14 rebounds.
 
The ECU women's basketball team will return to the Kerr Activities Center for a GAC match against Southern Nazarene University on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 1 pm.