Fifth-ranked Dallas Baptist pulls away from Tigers
Nov. 28—DALLAS, Texas — The East Central University men's basketball made a trip to Texas last week to face off against No. 5 Dallas Baptist University in a non-conference matchup. The Tigers were looking to take down their second ranked opponent this season, but the Patriots claimed a decisive 104-75 win at the Burg Center.
The Patriots improved to 4-0 on the year, while East Central slid to 3-2.
Out of the gate, DBU went on a 10-0 run to set the pace of the game while ECU struggled to score for two minutes until Mason Jones broke the drought with a layup. Despite the Tigers rallying to close the gap to 12-10, the Patriots surged ahead, leading by as much as 16 points at 44-28.
At the end of the half, DBU held a 49-35 advantage.
In the second half, ECU matched DBU's field goals initially, but the Patriots sparked another scoring run, expanding their lead to 30 points at the 4:22 mark.
Mason Jones, Malik Nash, and Mohamed Elgohary added to ECU's total points in the final minutes, but DBU would eventually secure the lopsided victory.
Godsgift Ezedinma posted a season-high 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds to lead the Tigers. Bryce Woolridge was next with 14 points, going 6-for-11 from the field, while Keyon Thomas added 12 points and Nikk Williams pitched in 11 points.
The Patriots shot 55 percent from the field and connected on a season-high 17 three-pointers.
Cameron Kahn paced Dallas Baptist with a season-high 27 points and Austin Garner sank six 3-point baskets for all 18 of his points.
DBU scored 30 points off 21 ECU turnovers.
Looking ahead, the ECU men's basketball team gears up for the start of Great American Conference play with a matchup against Northwestern Oklahoma State University at 7:30 p.m. Thursday inside the Kerr Activities Center. The ECU-NWOSU women kick off the night at 5:30 p.m.
Note: ECU Sports Information Director Sydney Dungen contributed to this report.
