Postgame Interview with Head Coach Jeff Morgan




BETHANY, Okla. – No. 2 seed East Central used a late first-half run and 52 percent shooting in the second half to pull away from No. 6 Harding 77-68 in the semifinals of the Great American Conference Tournament on Saturday at Bruin Fieldhouse.

Harding, the defending tournament champion, played in the semifinal round for the third straight season. The loss ended Harding's season with a 14-14 record. East Central improved to 21-9 and will take on the winner of Arkansas Tech and Southwestern Oklahoma in Saturday's championship game.

Harding led 35-27 with 2:23 left in the first half when Will Francis tipped in an offense rebound. East Central then closed the half on a 9-0 run that included three free throws from Stirling Thomas and a pair of 3-pointers from Braxton Reeves that gave the Tigers a 36-35 halftime lead.

There were nine lead changes and four ties in the second half before another Reeves 3-pointer with 5:02 left that gave East Central a 64-61 lead. Harding trailed the rest of the way.

Harding made more field goals in the game, hitting 28 to East Central's 26. The Tigers made 11 3-pointers to Harding's 10, but East Central outscored Harding 14-2 at the free-throw line. The Bisons did not shoot a free throw in the game until the 7:06 mark of the second half and finished 2-for-4.

Junior Blake McNair led Harding with 17 points. He connected on four of the Bisons' 10 3-pointers. Francis had 16 points and seven rebounds, and Andraz Kavas added 15 points and 10 rebounds.

Kavas scored in double figures in 26 of Harding's 28 games, including the last 20. It was Kavas' seventh double-double of the game.

All five East Central starters scored 11 or more points, led by Reeves and Henry Pwono, who had 17 each.