ADA, Okla. – The East Central University women's basketball team hosted Henderson State University on Saturday afternoon for their second game of the weekend. ECU started strong in the first quarter, and despite a late surge from HSU that made the game too close for comfort, the Tigers held on to secure the 66-61 victory.
With the win, ECU improves to 2-0 in conference play, while HSU falls to 0-2.
"We got off to a great start both in the first and third quarters," Head Coach Heather Hurt said. "We were really solid defensively until the fourth quarter. We gave up too many three's to let them back in the game. Our posts had a great day and a very good effort from everyone on our team. Ver proud of our team for getting the first two conference wins at home."
The Tigers jumped out to a dominant 24-7 lead in the first quarter and extended their advantage to as much as 20 points early in the second. However, the Reddies gradually fought their way back into the game, cutting the deficit to 13 points by the end of the third quarter (54-41). And with HSU's 12th three-pointer of the day, it brought them all the way to within one point, 60-59, with just 11 seconds remaining. After
Eva Fernandez hit two crucial free throws to extend the lead, the Reddies answered with a quick layup, bringing the score to 62-61 with only three seconds on the clock. The Tigers, however, sealed the win with clutch free throws from
Jayden Weiberg and
Katie Edelen down the stretch to cap off the weekend.
As a team, the Tigers out rebounded the Reddies 43-38 and were effective in the paint, scoring 32 points inside. HSU's three-point shooting, however, was a key factor in their comeback attempt.
Katie Edelen led the Tigers offensively, pouring in a career-high 27 points on 11-of-21 shooting, including a perfect 3-for-3 from the free-throw line.
Eva Fernandez and
Claira Dannefer each contributed 11 points, with Dannefer recording her first career double-double by adding 12 rebounds.
The ECU women's basketball team will return to action next Saturday, Dec. 14, at 5:30 p.m. as they face Oklahoma Baptist University at the Kerr Activities Center.
