ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The East Central University men's basketball team fell behind early and couldn't recover in a 75-51 loss to Henderson State University on Saturday at the Duke Wells Center, marking their second Great American Conference road game.
 
With the loss, the Tigers fall to 4-3 overall and 0-2 in GAC play. ECU returns home next week, looking to rebound against Southern Nazarene University on Thursday, Dec. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
 
Henderson set the tone right from the tip, draining a three-pointer just 15 seconds into the game and igniting an early 8-0 run. Brandon Mann kept ECU in the mix with five straight points to trim the lead to 8-6, but the Reddies maintained control, never letting the Tigers get closer than two points the rest of the quarter. Rustin Coffey's three-pointer kept ECU within striking distance, yet Henderson closed the period on a four-point spurt to take a 33-22 lead into halftime.
 
The Reddies' dominance continued in the second half, combining tight defense with efficient offense. Even though ECU improved its shooting after the break, Henderson outpaced the Tigers 42-29, maintaining a double-digit lead throughout and extending it to as many as 25 points midway through the half.
 
ECU struggled to get things going, shooting a season-low 32% from the field and collecting only 22 rebounds, while Henderson shot 59% and pulled down 40 boards.
 
Hudson Linsenmeyer led the Tigers with a career-high 15 points on 4-of-11 shooting, including three from beyond the arc. Rustin Coffey and Jordan England added eight points each, and Kameron Newsome led the team with six rebounds.