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BARTLESVILLE, Okla.  – The No. 2-seeded East Central women's basketball team staved off a possible upset-bid by the No. 7-seeded Southern Arkansas women's basketball team in the opening-round of the Great American Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon as ECU pulled away late in the game to earn a 67-57 win over SAU.
 
The loss for the Lady Muleriders (12-15) ends a 2013-14 season in which they engineered a remarkable turnaround from a year ago when SAU did not register a win. The 12 total wins this season were more than the previous three seasons combined as the Lady Muleriders began to build the foundation for a successful future under first-year head coach Rusty Rainbolt.
 
Despite the loss, the Lady Muleriders fought valiantly against the higher-seeded Lady Tigers (19-8); holding several small leads in the game and staying within single digits for the first 30 minutes of the game. It was not until the 10:52 mark of the second half that the Lady Tigers would gain a double-digit lead over the Lady Muleriders. Even then, the Lady Muleriders rallied to get as close as four points, 56-52, with 5:42 left in the game.
 
Over the remainder of the game, however, the Lady Tigers would begin to pull away as they out-scored SAU 11-5, giving ECU the 10-point victory, 67-57.
 
Aarika Reyna would provide a scoring spark for the Lady Muleriders in the game as she scored 21 points to lead the team. Barvion Wyatt was next in scoring with 10. Wyatt also led the team in rebounding with nine, narrowly missing out on the double-double. 2013-14 GAC Newcomer of the Year, Chanel Miller, ended with eight points.