BARTLESVILLE, OKLA. –In a rematch of the 2016-17 Great American Conference Championship game, the No. 3 East Central University men's basketball team ended up falling to No. 6 Arkansas-Monticello in double overtime in the Great American Conference quarterfinals at Bruin Fieldhouse.
Photo Gallery
The Tigers (15-12, 13-9 GAC) were led by sophomore Camron Talley, who netted 27 points, four rebounds, five assists and two steals. Junior Da'Rion King added 14 points, four boards, three assists and a block, while senior Tyler Armstrongrecorded 11 points, a rebound, an assist and two steals.
The Boll Weevils (18-11) didn't let ECU score through the first three minutes, but only added seven to the scoreboard themselves. UAM kept up the pressure and built the lead to 12-2 in the first 4:30 minutes.
With just under 12 minutes to play in the stanza, the Boll Weevils had built the lead to 11 (18-7), but that is when the Tigers started to fight back. ECU went on a 6-0 run in the next three minutes to cut the lead to five (18-13).
The teams then traded shots over the next two minutes, before UAM started an 18-0 run to push the lead to 13 (23-36), with three minutes left in the half. The lead got out to 14 (39-25), with two minutes left, before the Tigers were able to cut the lead to nine in the next 30 seconds. However, the Boll Weevils finished the stanza with a 5-1 run to lead 44-31.
While UAM built the lead to 15 in the first 1:30 minutes of the second half, the Tigers cut the disadvantage to eight (48-40) in the first three minutes. The teams then traded points for the next three minutes, with the Boll Weevils leading by 10 (53-43).
That is when ECU got back into the game, cutting the disadvantage to four with a 6-0 run until 13:35 remained in the half. However, UAM scored the next six points to increase the lead back to 10 over the next two minutes.
The Tigers traded shots with the Boll Weevils for a while before pushing back to cut the deficit to four (65-61), with seven minutes left on the clock. The game remained close, but a 4-0 run by ECU cut the deficit to two (67-65).
The final four minutes were a different ball game from the first 36 of the game. UAM was leading by seven (72-65), but the Tigers took control of the game and were able to tie the game at 72, with 2:08 left on the clock.
The Boll Weevils took the lead at 1:34 by two, but after their second attempt ECU retied the game with 16 ticks left on the clock. UAM got the ball down the court, but then lost the ball out of bounds at the baseline, with three seconds left.
The Tigers had a good look at a shot to win the game, but it couldn't fall and the game became the first GAC Championship Tournament game of the 2017-18 season to go to overtime.
Defense was the name of the game in the first three trips down the court, with neither team scoring until a floater in the lane by Talley got things started. UAM hit a three on its next possession, but another jumper from Talley and two-straight steals by the Tigers gave them their first lead of the game at 78-77, with 1:40 left to play.
Talley added another finesse shot, with 54 seconds left, to push the lead to three, but UAM hit a triple on the next possession to tie things back up at 80. Both teams missed on their final chances to force double-overtime for just the second time in GAC Championship history on the men's side.
The Boll Weevils scored the first 12 points of the second overtime and didn't allow the Tigers to score until 1:17 remained. But the damage was done, as UAM already led by 11, outscoring ECU 17-6 in the final stanza to claim the 97-86 win.
The game was the final for three players in a black and orange uniform, seniors Tyler Armstrong, Brett Cannon and Jeremiah Fleming.
Armstrong leaves the Tigers with 274 career points in just two seasons and earned a .439 shooting percentage.
Fleming will leave ranked No. 8 on the ECU career charts for his .403 (75-of-186) three-point shooting percentage and also ended with 274 points in two seasons.
Cannon, who tallied the Tigers third and fourth triple-doubles earlier this season, finished with 574 points, 293 rebounds and 258 assists. His 258 assists ranked No. 6 on the ECU career charts.
Reader Comments(0)