Jan. 21—The East Central University men’s basketball team extended their win streak to three with a 77-65 victory over Harding University on Saturday at the Kerr Activities Center.
With the win, ECU improves to 7-9 overall and 4-6 in Great American Conference play, while Harding drops to 9-7 and 5-5.
Nikk Williams got the Tigers off to a strong start, followed by a jumper from Godsgift Ezedinma, as ECU quickly took control of the game. After Harding closed the gap to 9-7, a 3-pointer by Bryce Woolridge sparked a 9-0 run that gave the Tigers an 18-7 lead midway through the first half.
Later, back-to-back 3-pointers from Williams and Ryan Kelly, along with a layup from Jourdyn Grandberry, fueled an 8-0 run that gave ECU its largest lead of the contest at 16 points.
Although Harding answered with three consecutive 3-pointers to cut the deficit to seven, a final jumper from Grandberry kept the Tigers ahead 39-30 at halftime.
Out of the break, Harding continued to chip away at the lead, pulling within five at 41-36. However, the Tigers responded with an 8-2 run, including two 3-pointers from Ezedinma, to extend the lead to 49-38.
Despite Harding’s hot shooting from beyond the arc, ECU kept answering back, maintaining a comfortable lead.
The Bisons cut the margin to five on two occasions, but the Tigers closed the game strong, outscoring Harding 16-9 in the final minutes to seal the win.
As a team, ECU dominated in several key areas including shooting (50.9% to 42.9%), points in the paint (36-22) and rebounding (32-27). The Tigers finished 16 of 19 from the free-throw line, while the Bisons hit 6 of 7 attempts.
Bryce Woolridge led the Tigers with 22 points, shooting an efficient 6-of-8 from the field and 8-of-9 from the free-throw line. He also had seven rebounds. Godsgift Ezedinma added 15 points, going 6-for-9 from the field, including three 3-pointers.
Nikk Williams contributed 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Mark Rucha rounded out the double-digit scorers with 11 points and three steals.
Harding got 17 points from Sam Smith and 15 points from Keyln McBride, who sank three 3-point shots. The Bison finished 11 of 28 from beyond the arc.
The ECU men’s basketball team will return home at 7:30 p.m. Thursday when old rival Southeastern visits Ada.
