ADA, Okla. – Freshman
Aaliyah Holmes converted four first half three-pointers and classmate
Kimberly Crown tied a Great American Conference single-game record for free throw percentage, but East Central used double-figure scoring from all five starters to outlast Southern Arkansas, 73-68, inside the Kerr Activities Center on Saturday afternoon.
RECORDS
East Central (6-11, 5-8 GAC)
Southern Arkansas (5-12, 3-10 GAC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
- An entertaining first half witnessed 10 lead changes and six ties with the largest lead for either team being an 18-13 advantage for Southern Arkansas at the end of the first quarter.
- The teams were efficient from the floor shooting an average of 47% and combining for 11 three-pointers in the first half.
- East Central answered a pair of Alyssa Hamilton buckets with a 6-0 run to take their first lead of the afternoon in the early going.
- Three-pointers from Aaliyah Holmes and Anna Djedjemel helped aid a 7-0 run for SAU moments later as the Lady Muleriders took a 15-10 lead with 2:37 to play in the opening quarter.
- An 8-0 Tiger run midway through the second quarter put the hosts up 21-18; the largest lead for either team was never more than three points as the two sides traded buckets down the stretch.
- Southern Arkansas led 35-33 at the intermission, but ECU outscored the Lady Muleriders 17-11 in the third quarter and 23-22 in the final ten minutes to claim the five-point win and split the season series.
- East Central remained out front in the second half as the final two quarters saw just one lead change and one tie.
- A 12-2 Tiger run sparked the ECU effort out of the break and it wasn't until 3:35 remaining in the game that the Lady Muleriders were able to pull within a point, 59-58, on Crown's 11th-straight free throw.
- Southern Arkansas was unable to pull back to within a bucket after missing a trio of shots in a two-minute span late in the game.
- Like Crown, the Tigers capitalized from the charity stripe in the final three and a half minutes as they went a perfect 8-of-8 to hold off a potential late run by the Lady Muleriders.
FOR SOUTHERN ARKANSAS
- Crown led SAU with 15 points and six rebounds. Just two of her 15 points came from the floor (1-of-3) as the freshman converted all 13 of her free throw attempts to tie the league record for single-game percentage with a minimum of eight attempts.
- Holmes followed with 14 points as 12 came from beyond the perimeter in a team-high 36 minutes on the floor and Jasmyn Eckerman added a dozen points and six rebounds in 23 minutes off of the bench.
- Makaila Jordan produced nine points, six rebounds and three assists, and Anna Djedjemel added nine points. Hamilton led the Lady Muleriders with two blocks.
FOR THE OPPOSITION
- Starters accounted for all 73 of ECU's points on Saturday afternoon led Madison Nicken's 22 points. Whitney Stotler scored 19 points and added eight rebounds, and Jalyn Jackson followed with a dozen points, a game-high nine rebounds, and two blocks. The latter two both recorded four assists.
- Alexa Adair and Devon Brach each added 10 points.
- The starting five averaged 33.2 minutes on the floor and shot a collective 24-of-48 from the field.
- The Tiger bench contributed just 34 minutes combined, shot 0-for-5 from the floor and added five rebounds, four assists, one turnover and a steal.
OF NOTE
- East Central used 14 Lady Mulerider turnovers to produce 23 points, while SAU managed 15 points on 17 Tiger turnovers.
- The Tigers also topped SAU in second-chance points (12-10) with each team scoring seven points in the fourth quarter courtesy of nine combined offensive rebounds in the second half.
- Despite the loss, Southern Arkansas produced the season's second-highest marks in three-pointers made (7), field goals made (21), and free throw percentage (.840).
- The Lady Muleriders shot 38.5% from the field, while ECU was 45.3% from the floor and 50.0% from beyond the arc to 38.9% for Southern Arkansas.
UP NEXT
