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In a fierce rivalry in the Great American Conference, East Central University’s men’s basketball team faced archrival Southeastern Oklahoma State University on Thursday night inside the Kerr Activities Center.
The Tigers showed off their 3-point shooting skills, but the Savage Storm scored in the second half to defeat ECU 78-69.
With this loss, the Tigers fell to 9-8 overall and 5-6 in GAC play, leaving them in a three-way tie for sixth place in the conference standings. The Savage Storm currently sit in second place with a record of 8 wins and 3 losses, with a total of 12 wins and 7 losses.
The game was close from beginning to end, with the score tied 11 times and the lead changing hands 10 times. Despite ECU having a high field goal percentage and making eight 3-pointers, the Storm entered halftime with a narrow 39-37 lead.
The second half mirrored the intensity of the first half, with neither team holding a lead of more than five points for most of the game. A layup by Robel Desta with 4:10 left in the game brought the Tigers to within three points, 65-62, but Southeastern’s consecutive 3-pointers widened the lead to 71-62 with 2:54 remaining. In the end, the Storm’s lead reached 12 points, giving the visiting team an eight-point victory.
Southeastern outscored ECU 39-32 in the second half, but a crucial factor was efficiency at the free-throw line, shooting 19-of-19 compared to just 1-of-6 for the Tigers. 16 were successful.
Three Tigers scored in double figures: Nick Williams, Keyon Thomas and Godgift Ezedinma. Williams scored a team-high 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field, and Thomas added 14 points on 5-of-12 shooting from the floor, including four from beyond the arc. Ezzedinma was close behind with 13 points on 5 of 17 shots.
Southeastern had five different players reach double digits. Jett Sternberger led the way with 15 points, followed by Kyle Leslie with 14 points and eight rebounds.
ECU men’s basketball will look to get back in the win column when they take on Northwestern Oklahoma State today at 3 p.m. In Aruba.
Cold shooting ECU woman falls to rival
In a night of electrifying rivalry within the Great American Conference, the East Central University women’s basketball team hosted Southeastern Oklahoma State University Thursday night inside the Carr Activities Center.
It was a close game in the first half, but the Tigers fought back in the third quarter and ultimately lost 59-46.
Southeastern left town at 6-11 overall and 2-9 in conference play, while ECU fell to 5-10 and 1-10.
“We had a lot of chances to make shots,” head coach Heather Hart said. “Credit to Southeastern for their performance defensively. We’ve got to step up offensively and make some shots.”
The Lady Tigers made just 5 of 25 field goals (20%) during that cold losing streak, scoring a total of 13 points in the middle two frames.
In the first three minutes of the game, both teams traded points and leads. But Kate Ogle’s 3-pointer sparked a 7-0 run that gave the Tigers a 12-6 lead midway through the first quarter. Southeastern closed the gap to within one point three times, but ECU maintained control and led 18-15.
The second quarter was slow, with both teams making just one field goal within the first five minutes. The Savage Storm eventually tied the score at 22-all with 4:10 left in the first half, but Chloe Malone’s jumper gave the Tigers a 24-22 lead heading into halftime to close out the quarter. Ta.
ECU extended its lead to four points after halftime on Mackenzie Herman’s jumper, but Southeastern’s 12-3 run allowed the Savage Storm to take a 34-29 lead at the 4:38 mark. Going into the final round, the Tigers were trailing 39-31.
The Tigers started the comeback with a 7-3 scoring run in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to four points, 42-38, but that was as close as ECU would get.
Natalie Payne and Mackenzie Crusoe led the scoring, with Payne scoring 11 points and Crusoe adding 10 points.
Kaitlyn Koviske led the Savage Storm with 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Kenzuri Warden also had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
The ECU women’s basketball team will make a long road trip to Aruba today to take on host Northwestern.Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Note: Ada News Sports Editor Jeff Cali contributed to this report.
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