ADA, Okla. – The East Central University men's basketball team battled its way to a 64-61 conference victory over Arkansas Tech University on Saturday, grinding out the win in front of its home crowd. The Tigers held off the Wonder Boys in the final minutes to secure the crucial GAC triumph.
With the win, ECU improves to 14-12 overall and 9-11 in conference play as it continues to fight for a spot in the GAC Championship Tournament. The Tigers will host Southwestern Oklahoma State University for their final home game of the 2025-26 season on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m.
Jordan England opened the scoring with a three-pointer and quickly accounted for the Tigers' first six points with 17:19 remaining in the half. A three from
Rustin Coffey later gave East Central a three-point edge as both teams traded baskets throughout the opening period. At halftime, ECU held a narrow 28-27 advantage.
Despite shooting just 30% from the field in the first half, the Tigers capitalized on turnovers with seven points off takeaways. ECU recorded 10 rebounds, three made three-pointers, four turnovers, and four assists in the opening 20 minutes. England and Coffey paced the Tigers with nine points each, while
Hudson Linsenmeyer added six points and helped facilitate the offense.
Brandon Mann opened the second half with a layup at the 19:35 mark to extend the lead to 30-27. Arkansas Tech responded with a three-pointer to tie the game at 30-30 and later took the lead, forcing ECU to battle from behind.
The Tigers evened the score at 44-44 on a pair of free throws from
Mark Rucha with 8:24 remaining. After multiple ties down the stretch, ECU regained the lead on a clutch three-pointer from Coffey, who finished with 26 points, to make it 51-48. Free throws from Rucha and Coffey helped extend the advantage in the closing minutes.
With the game hanging in the balance, East Central's ability to convert at the free-throw line and knock down key perimeter shots proved decisive. The Tigers finished 14-of-37 from the field, totaled 22 rebounds, and committed just eight turnovers. ECU was led by Coffey's 26 points, while Linsenmeyer added 15 to help seal the 64-61 victory.
