ADA, Okla. – The East Central University women's basketball team squared off against Ouachita Baptist University in the battle of the Tigers for the Great American Conference opener Thursday night. The game was a back-and-forth affair, but ECU pulled away in the final quarter, securing a decisive win inside an electric Kerr Activities Center.
 
With the victory, ECU improved to 3-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play, while Ouachita suffered its first loss of the season, falling to 3-1 and 0-1 in the GAC. This marked ECU's first conference-opening win since the 2014-15 season, when the Tigers defeated Arkansas-Monticello 69-65 in overtime.
 
"We were really good defensively in the second half," Head Coach Heather Hurt said. "First half we gave them too many three-pointers. Makenzy Herman did great on both ends of the court. We had aggressive play from Eva Fernandez which gave us open looks that we knocked down late in the game."
 
Claira Dannefer got things started with an early layup, sparking an 8-3 run, with six of those points coming from Eva Fernandez. Ouachita responded with seven consecutive points to take their first lead at 10-8 with six minutes remaining in the first quarter. ECU quickly regained the advantage with an 8-0 run, capped by a three-pointer from Makenzy Herman, to go up 16-10 before a late Ouachita layup brought the score to 16-12 at the end of the first period.
 
The second quarter saw Ouachita briefly take the lead after a 7-0 run, going up 19-16. ECU stayed close, though, tying the game twice before reclaiming the lead at 28-27 with a three-pointer from Jayden Weiberg. Ouachita answered with a quick three-pointer, but a jumper from Katie Edelen and a pair of free throws from Herman gave ECU a 34-30 lead at the half.
 
It was a low scoring affair for both teams in the third quarter, with Ouachita only outscoring ECU 8-7. ECU extended its lead to as much as nine points at 41-32, but Ouachita trimmed the margin to 41-38 heading into the final quarter.
 
In the fourth, Eva Fernandez opened the scoring with a quick layup, and though Ouachita answered with one of their own, ECU responded with an explosive 13-0 run. Layups from Chloe Malone, free throws from Katie Edelen, and three-pointers from Jayden Weiberg powered the offensive surge, and ECU stretched its lead to 62-44 before sealing the 62-48 win.
 
Four Tigers scored in double figures, led by Eva Fernandez with 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting. Makenzy Herman posted a career-high 13 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the field, including three from beyond the arc, while also contributing four assists. Katie Edelen added 11 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and Chloe Malone chipped in with 10 points and four assists. Jayden Weiberg finished with nine points, all from three-point range.
 
The ECU women's basketball team will be back at the Kerr Activities Center on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 1 pm to face off against Henderson State University.