ADA, Okla. – The East Central University women's basketball team faced off against Northwestern Oklahoma State University at home on Saturday inside the Kerr Activities Center. The Rangers made a late run, but the Tigers' quick start carried them through to a 61-56 victory.
 
With the win, ECU improves to 8-9 in GAC play, while NWOSU drops to 10-7.
 
The Tigers started strong, jumping out to an early 16-10 lead and continuing to create separation, closing the first quarter with their highest-scoring frame of the night at 24-14. The 10-point cushion was fueled by Jayden Weiberg, who tallied nine early points, all from beyond the arc.
 
Entering the second quarter, ECU continued to push the tempo. The Tigers opened the frame with a quick jumper from Claira Dannefer. Northwestern pulled within seven, cutting the deficit to 29-22, but ECU's momentum couldn't be slowed. Katie Edelen knocked down two quick jumpers to push the lead back to double digits, and a three-pointer from Tatum Havens stretched the advantage to 41-28 at halftime.
 
After the break, Rylie Burnett struck first for ECU with a quick layup. Northwestern answered on the other end, but the Tigers maintained their 13-point lead. Both teams experienced a slower third quarter, combining for just 19 points in the frame. Even so, ECU carried a strong 12-point advantage into the final quarter.
 
The Tigers looked to finish strong in the fourth but battled through a slower offensive stretch while the Rangers posted their highest-scoring quarter of the night. A Northwestern basket cut the deficit to single digits at the 1:25 mark, and a 5-2 run trimmed the gap to four late in the game. However, it was too little, too late, as a final free throw from Dannefer sealed the win.
 
As a team, ECU shot 21-of-45 from the field and outshot the Rangers from beyond the arc, 40 percent to just 15 percent. The Tigers also controlled the boards with 34 total rebounds.
 
ECU was led by Jayden Weiberg, who finished with 15 points on five made three's and four rebounds. Katie Edelen added a strong performance with 13 points and seven rebounds, while Rylie Burnett contributed 10 points, four rebounds, and three assists.