ECU women knock down Eagles with big second half

It wasn’t the best start for the East Central University women’s basketball team Tuesday night, but the Tigers finished strong and pulled away for a convincing 79-56 home win over Oklahoma Christian.

Coach Heather Hurt’s club stayed unbeaten at 3-0, while the Eagles slipped to 3-2. ECU returns to action today in its final non-conference game against Midwestern State. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at D.L. Ligon Coliseum in Wichita Falls, Texas.

Oklahoma Christian controlled the opening 10 minutes, outshooting ECU 53.3 percent (8 of 15) to 29.4 percent (5 of 17). Over the final 30 minutes, however, the Tigers flipped the script, hitting 59.0 percent (23 of 39) compared to the Eagles’ 34.2 percent (13 of 38).

After falling behind 19-9 late in the first quarter, East Central stormed back with a dominant second-period performance. The Tigers went on a 24-4 run to take a 33-23 lead, capped by a 3-pointer from Rylie Burnett, and carried a 34-26 advantage into halftime.

Oklahoma Christian briefly closed the gap early in the third quarter behind consecutive 3-pointers from Kenzie Willis and Trinity Dobbs to pull within 37-32. ECU answered with authority, closing the period on a 20-6 run to build a 52-43 lead entering the fourth.

Jayden Weiberg then provided the knockout punch, drilling three 3-pointers in the final quarter as the Tigers closed the game on a 27-13 run.

Burnett led the way with a career-high 23 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Eva Fernandez delivered a double-double with 17 points and 13 assists and went a perfect 5 of 5 from the free-throw line.

Weiberg scored 12 points off the bench — all from 3-point range — and Claira Dannefer added 10 points on a flawless 5-of-5 shooting night.

Willis paced Oklahoma Christian with 10 points, while Faith Ford added nine and Dobbs chipped in eight.

The Eagles struggled at the free-throw line, hitting just 7 of 16, while ECU knocked down 15 of 18.