East Central men edge the Muleriders

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Jan. 14—MAGNOLIA, Ark. — The East Central University men’s basketball team rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to stun Southern Arkansas 70-68 Saturday inside the W.T. Watson Athletic Center.

East Central improved to 5-9 overall and 2-6 in the Great American Conference. The Tigers snapped a six-game losing skid. The Muleriders have the same records at 5-9 and 2-6.

Mark Rucha hit a jumper and then made the first of two free throws with 39 seconds left in the game to put ECU on top 69-65

Southern Arkansas then got a 3-pointer from Carel Ray Jr. that cut the East Central advantage to 69-68 with 25 ticks remaining.

The Tigers got a big blocked shot by Bishop Jones in the closing seconds to seal the outcome. Godsgift Ezedinma made a free shot with :01 left for the final point of the game.

Southern Arkansas scored 11 straight points in the first half to build a 23-13 lead and the Tigers trailed 35-25 at the break.

After SAU’s Anthony Igiede made a 3-pointer at the 18:31 mark of the second half, the hosts had built a 38-27 advantage.

The Tigers answered by outscoring Southern Arkansas 16-5 and after Jones sank a 3-pointer, the game was tied at 43-43 with 13:12 remaining.

The game was a seesaw affair from there with their team gaining more than a four-point edge.

East Central got a game-high 20 points from Nikk Williams. He made 9 of 10 field goals and also had seven rebounds and two blocks.

Rucha was next with 17 points, including a pair of 3-point baskets. He also had four steals and three assists. Bishop Jones also hit double figures with 12 points. Mason Jones scored nine points off the bench for the Tigers thanks to a 3 for 4 effort from 3-point range.

Igiede led the Muleriders with 18 points and seven rebounds. He sank a trio of 3-point shots. Ray Jr. was next with 16 points, including a 6 for 6 showing from the free-throw line. Rashad Bishop also hit double digits with 11 points to go with eight boards for the hosts.

East Central struggled from the free-throw line, making…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/east-central-men-edge-muleriders-205400640.html

Author : The Ada News, Okla.

Publish date : 2025-01-14 20:54:00

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