ECU Sports
Teri LaJeunese, Sports Information Director
ADA – The East Central University men’s basketball team claimed an 81-73 victory over Oklahoma Baptist and claimed the No. 3 seed in the Great American Conference Championship tournament in the process. The Tigers will get ready to face No. 6 Arkansas-Monticello, Friday, March 2 at 2:15 p.m. in Bartlesville, Okla.
The Tigers (15-11, 13-9 GAC) were led by sophomore Camron Talley, who tallied 26 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Junior Marcus Lytle added 17 points, six boards, two assists and two steals, while freshman Cameron Hines garnered 11 points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal.
The Bison (10-18, 7-15 GAC) started the game on a 5-0 run, in the first minute. However, ECU quickly tied things up and pushed ahead 6-5, with 17:48 left on the clock. The teams traded runs and points over the next three minutes, resulting in a 13-all tie.
The Tigers then used a 7-0 run in the next two minutes to take a seven-point advantage (20-13). OBU countered with a 14-0 run to gain a seven-point lead of its own (27-20), with just under seven minutes left in the stanza. The Bison kept the advantage between four and seven points for most of the half, with the Tigers getting with in two (36-38), with 44 seconds left, before heading to the locker room trailing 40-36.
ECU quickly tied things up in the second half before OBU went on a 6-0 run to regain a 49-43 advantage. After the next minute the Tigers started their come-back, using a 6-0 run to tie the game at 51, with 13:47 left to play.
The score tallied back-and-forth for the next eight minutes, with things knotted at 65. ECU took control of the game from there, using a 16-8 run in the remaining time to earn the 81-73 victory.