ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The East Central University women's basketball team opened its Arkansas road swing with a hard-fought battle at Arkansas Tech University, but the Tigers came up just short in a 71–69 loss Thursday night inside Tucker Coliseum.
 
With the result, ECU moves to 3–6 in Great American Conference play, while the Golden Suns improve to 7–2. The Tigers will close the road trip on Saturday, Jan. 17, with a 1 p.m. matchup at Harding University.
 
ECU looked to build momentum from last week's home sweep, jumping out to an early 11–3 lead after a jumper by Katie Edelen midway through the first quarter. ATU trimmed the margin to two late in the period, but a basket from Claira Dannefer helped the Tigers maintain a 17–14 advantage after the opening 10 minutes.
 
The Tigers extended the lead to 21–16 early in the second quarter, but the Golden Suns responded with their strongest stretch of the night. ATU outscored ECU 23–15 in the frame to regain the lead and head into halftime up 37–32.
 
ATU continued its run coming out of the break, building a double-digit lead at 53–42 with 3:27 remaining in the third quarter. ECU answered by holding the Golden Suns scoreless for nearly the remainder of the period, cutting the deficit to two on a jumper from Edelen before a late ATU layup sent the game to the fourth with the Golden Suns leading 55–51.
 
The contest turned into a back-and-forth battle in the final quarter. ECU opened the frame on an 8–0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Ella Lavigne and Jayden Weiberg, to take a 59–55 lead. ATU responded to keep the game within one possession, setting up a dramatic finish that featured three lead changes and two ties. The Tigers held a 69–67 edge with under eight seconds remaining, but a Golden Suns layup followed by trips to the free-throw line allowed ATU to seal the two-point victory.
 
ECU finished the night shooting a higher percentage from the field (44.3% to 37.3%), winning the rebounding battle 45–30, and outscoring ATU 40–30 in the paint. The Golden Suns, however, made the difference at the free-throw line by converting 22-of-26 attempts and turning ECU turnovers into 21 points.
 
Edelen led the Tigers with her second consecutive 25-point performance, finishing with 25 points and a career-high 13 rebounds for a double-double. Lavigne also reached double figures, scoring 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting.