ADA, Okla. – The East Central University men's basketball team closed out the weekend with a statement win, stunning Southern Nazarene University 79-67 on Saturday to hand the Crimson Storm their first home loss of the season inside Sawyer Center in a crucial road victory.
 
With the win, ECU improves to 7-11 in GAC play, while SNU suffers just their third conference loss. The Tigers not only ended the Crimson Storm's 10-game home win streak but also delivered the first men's and women's basketball program sweep at home for SNU since the 2021 season.
 
ECU wasted no time setting the tone, jumping out to a 7-1 lead with an opening layup from Mark Rucha, a dunk by Bryce Woolridge, and a three-pointer from Godsgift Ezedinma. Although SNU answered back, the Tigers built a lead as large as eight points after another three from Ezedinma at 8:51 to make it 25-17. However, a five-minute scoring drought allowed SNU to go on an 11-0 run and take their first lead at 28-25. But ECU responded in a big way, closing the first half with a 12-0 run fueled by four consecutive three-pointers, taking a 37-28 lead into halftime.
 
The second half was all ECU as the Tigers maintained their offensive pressure, shooting 62.5% from the field. Despite a few three-pointers and free-throws from SNU, the Tigers kept the Crimson Storm at arm's length. SNU cut the deficit to four points at 48-44 with 14 minutes left, but Hudson Linsenmeyer's layup restored ECU's two-possession lead, and the Tigers never looked back. ECU's lead swelled to as much as 13 points at 67-54 after a layup from Mason Jones, and they closed out the game for a dominant 79-67 victory.
 
ECU shot an impressive 56.3% from the field, while SNU struggled at just 36.4%. The Tigers also dominated the boards, 33-28, and from beyond the arc, knocking down 11 three-pointers compared to SNU's five, which proved to be a key difference in the win.
 
Godsgift Ezedinma led the way with 20 points, shooting 5-for-7 from the field, 3-for-5 from three, and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line, while grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. Bryce Woolridge added 19 points, going 7-for-10 from the field, 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, and grabbing seven rebounds. Mason Jones also scored in double figures with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting, including three from three-point range, and added five rebounds.
 
The ECU men's basketball team will continue their road trip next week, facing Harding University and Arkansas Tech University in their final Arkansas series of the season, February 20-22.