ADA, Okla. – The East Central University women's basketball team bounced back into the win column with a dynamite second-half performance, securing a 61-48 victory over Ouachita Baptist University at the Kerr Activities Center on Saturday.
 
"We had a great defensive effort in the second half," Head Coach Heather Hurt said. "A lot of players stepped up to help us get stops or put points on the board. I am really proud of our response in the second half to get stops and handle their pressure."
 
After trailing 30-22 at halftime, the Tigers gradually found their rhythm in the third quarter, erasing what was a 10-point deficit down to just three points (42-39) heading into the final 10 minutes.
 
Although Ouachita briefly extended their lead to 44-40 early in the fourth quarter, ECU's offense surged ahead while the purple Tigers stalled.
 
Natalie Payne's jumper sparked a dominant 21-4 scoring run, which included five Tiger three pointers, that ultimately took them to the very end and seal the well-deserved victory in front of their home crowd.
 
ECU was impressive on both ends of the shooting percentage, earning a 45.1% field-goal percentage on 23-51 shooting and a season-best 63.2% accuracy from beyond the arc, hitting 12-of-19 shots.
 
Jayden Weiberg led the scoring with 20 points, shooting 7-of-10 overall and an impressive 6-of-8 from three-point range.
 
Mackenzie Crusoe contributed 14 points on 5-of-15 shooting while Natalie Payne added 12 points and grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
 
The ECU women's basketball team will compete in their final week of the regular season, starting on Thursday, Feb. 29 with a road contest against Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford.