SEARCY, Ark. – The East Central University men's basketball team is traveling back to Ada on a high note with a gritty 97-87 road victory over Harding University on Saturday afternoon to close the GAC Arkansas road series.
 
The victory put the Tigers back in the win column, improving them to 8-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play.
 
"It was a good response by our guys today," Head Coach Daniel Wheeler said. "Multiple guys stepped up and made key plays. Give Credit to Harding. They kept throwing punches. It is always good to get a conference road win!"
 
After an initial back-and-forth battle in the game's opening five minutes, a layup by Malik Nash put the Tigers ahead with a 14-13 lead, a lead they would maintain for the entire first half. ECU's defensive efforts restricted Harding to only two field goals in seven minutes, allowing the Tigers to secure an 11-point lead at 29-18 with 8:08 remaining in the first half.
 
Although the Bisons mounted a comeback, narrowing the deficit to just one point at 33-32, timely back-to-back three-pointers by Keyon Thomas and Mohamed Elgohary helped put the Tigers back on track until they eventually headed into the locker room with a 44-39 advantage.
 
In a game of runs, Harding answered back and chipped away at the ECU lead in the second half. The Bisons managed to regain the lead with a 48-47 edge, however, another crucial three-pointer from Elgohary swung momentum back in favor of the Tigers, allowing them to build a commanding 15-point lead at 69-54 with 12:41 to go.
 
Despite Harding's late surge, closing the gap to within six points at 89-83 with 1:52 remaining, ECU maintained composure to seal the 97-87 win.
 
The Tigers dominated the glass, outrebounding Harding 40-27 and outscoring the Bisons in the paint 44-30.
 
Godsgift Ezedinma had a career-high night scoring 25 points and going 9-for-12 from the floor while grabbing five rebounds.
 
Keyon Thomas picked up 20 points, his sixth 20+ game of the season, and was one assist away from a double-double with nine.
 
Mohamed Elgohary and Bryce Woolridge contributed 14 points each, with Elgohary earning his second double-double of the season with a team-high 13 rebounds.
 
The ECU men's basketball team will return to Ada for their next matchup against Arkansas-Monticello on Thursday, Jan. 11 at 7:30 pm.