ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – The East Central University men's basketball team traveled to Russellville on Thursday night for a Great American Conference road matchup against Arkansas Tech University. In a tightly contested, back-and-forth battle, the Tigers came up just short, suffering a heartbreaking 62–61 loss at the buzzer inside Tucker Coliseum.
 
With the setback, ECU falls to 2–7 in Great American Conference play, while ATU improves to 3–6. The Tigers will look to bounce back and close the weekend on a high note with a road matchup against Harding University on Saturday at 3 p.m.
 
ECU got off to a fast start, racing out to a 10–3 lead behind a pair of early three-pointers from Javaun Henderson. Arkansas Tech kept the margin within one or two possessions for much of the half, but the Tigers carried a slim 33–31 advantage into halftime.
 
After leading for nearly the entire opening period, ECU continued to battle in a second half that featured five ties and nine lead changes. The Tigers regained control and built their largest lead of the half at five points when Henderson drilled another three-pointer at the 6:43 mark, but the Wonder Boys continued to respond.
 
With under three minutes remaining, ATU briefly pulled ahead before ECU answered with a timely three-pointer from Hudson Linsenmeyer to tie the game at 57–57. The Tigers then reclaimed the lead on a pair of free throws with 50 seconds left, only for Arkansas Tech to answer at the line to even the score once again.
 
ECU appeared poised to escape with the win after Brandon Mann converted a go-ahead layup with 2.4 seconds remaining, but ATU capitalized on its final possession. David Elliott IV connected on a contested three-pointer as time expired, lifting the Wonder Boys to the one-point victory.
 
Despite knocking down 11-of-30 shots from beyond the arc and battling throughout the night, ECU was outshot 46.8 percent to 42.0 percent and was outrebounded 33–25.
 
Javaun Henderson and Race Herr led the Tigers offensively, posting career-high performances with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Henderson connected on five three-pointers, while Herr added two blocks. Jaden Miller once again orchestrated the offense, recording 13 assists for his second consecutive game.