MONTICELLO, Ark. - The East Central University men's basketball team pulled away late against the University of Arkansas at Monticello, securing a 75-56 road win over the Weevils on Saturday afternoon at Steelman Fieldhouse to complete a weekend sweep in Arkansas.
 
ECU improved its overall record to 11-10 and 6-9 in Great American Conference play with the victory over UAM, who added another loss to fall to 5-10 in league play.
 
Both teams were even in the opening minutes, swapping the lead back and forth with five ties and five lead changes. Javaun Henderson and Brandon Mann stood out early, accounting for ECU's first points to give the Tigers a 9-5 advantage before three-point shooting from Rustin Coffey and Hudson Linsenmeyer tied the game 15-all at the 14:21 mark. The Weevils added a layup to take a 17-15 lead, but that would be their final lead of the game as a layup from Jaden Miller sparked a 6-0 run that put ECU back in front. By the end of the half, the Tigers built a 36-29 advantage, shooting 61.9% from the field compared to 40% by UAM.
 
Coming out of the break, the Tigers looked to add to their seven-point lead. ECU stretched their lead to double digits after free throws from Coffey with 17 minutes left, but UAM pushed within six with a scoring run. The Tigers maintained their advantage, continuing to answer any Boll Weevil basket. UAM made one last push late in the game to narrow the deficit to as low as five points at 56-51 with under six minutes remaining, but the Tigers closed out strong on a 19-5 run to secure the 75-56 victory.
 
As a team, ECU outshot UAM 54.3% from the field compared to 38.2%, while dominating the boards 35-25, points in the paint 42-32, and bench points 17-4.
 
Brandon Mann powered the Tiger offense, going a perfect 9-for-9 from the field for 18 points. Rustin Coffey also finished with a stellar performance, scoring 17 points and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe. Javaun Henderson rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points on 4-for-4 shooting, while Jaden Miller continues to be a driving force for his team with nine rebounds, seven assists, and seven points.