MAGNOLIA, Ark. – The East Central University women's basketball team struggled to recover from a slow start, falling 70-58 on the road to Southern Arkansas University on Saturday afternoon at the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.
 
ECU (4-8, 2-6 GAC) fell behind early in the first quarter, getting outscored 17-3 with Tatum Havens' three-pointer the only basket from the floor. Despite the early deficit, the Tigers refused to back down.
 
SAU (8-6, 3-5 GAC) stretched their lead to as much as 14 points early in the second period (22-8), but a three-pointer from Lucia Hervia ignited ECU's offense. Claira Dannefer then took charge in the paint, scoring 14 of the Tigers' 26 points in the quarter to trim the gap to single digits. Havens capped the period with another three-pointer, sending ECU into halftime trailing 37-29.
 
Havens continued to spark the Tigers in the second half, sinking two free throws to start the third quarter, cutting the deficit to 37-31. However, SAU responded with an 11-0 run, including three consecutive three-pointers, to push their lead back to 14 points at 45-31. The Muleriders extended their lead to as much as 16 before finishing the quarter with a 54-40 advantage.
 
ECU had their second-highest scoring quarter in the final frame, putting up 18 points, but SAU matched the effort with 16 points, holding off any hopes of a comeback.
 
The Tigers shot 35.8% (19-53) from the field and 41.2% (7-17) from beyond the arc, while SAU posted an impressive 52.1% (25-48) from the field and 50% (8-16) from three-point range.
 
Claira Dannefer and Tatum Havens led ECU offensively. Dannefer scored 20 points on 6-for-14 shooting and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line, while Haven contributed 12 points, hitting 3-for-6 from three-point range and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. Haven also grabbed a team-high six rebounds.
 
The Tigers will return home for a GAC matchup against Arkansas Tech University on Thursday, Jan. 16, at 5:30 p.m.