Savage Storm Ready For Rival Tigers

Men's Basketball | 2/25/2015 7:14:00 PM

DURANT, Okla. – Southeastern is set to close out the home portion of its schedule in a key matchup against rival East Central at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 26 as the Savage Storm aim to secure a spot in the Great American Conference tournament with two games to play in the season.
 
Thursday will also be "White Out Night" as Savage Storm fans are encourages to wear white to the game.
 
The Savage Storm enter the contest at 13-13 overall and 9-9 in league play in a dead heat with Arkansas Tech for fifth place in the standing, however, just two games separate third-through-eighth place in the standings, and just two games separate SE and ATU from Henderson State at 7-11 as the team on the outside looking in with two to play.
 
The Tigers come in with a spot secured in the tournament and currently sitting in second with an 18-8 record overall and a 12-6 mark in GAC play.
 
The Storm had been one of the hotter teams in the league prior to last week, winning five of its last six before dropping tight contests to Ouachita Baptist and Arkansas Tech, but are still 5-3 in their last eight games.
 
ECU comes to town off back-to-back wins over Harding and ATU, and have won three of their last four outings.
 
SE dropped the first matchup between the teams in Ada after seeing an early second half lead disappear into a 74-60 loss.
 
Southeastern comes into the game averaging 72.3 ppg, while the Tigers are second in the league at 78.1 per outing, however both teams rank well on defense with the Storm allowing 71.3 ppg for fifth in the GAC and ECU sits third at 70.7 ppg.
 
Taylor Smaller continues to pace the Southeastern offense and is fifth in the GAC in scoring with 16.2 ppg and has turned eight 20-plud point outings which is fifth best in the league.
 
He is joined in double figures by Sami Bzai who is posting 11.1 ppg en route to becoming one of the most accurate three-point shooters in the league at 44.5 percent which is tied for second in the GAC.
 
Darius Harris leads the conference in rebounding at 9.0 rpg and is second in the league in double-doubles with seven.
 
ECU is led by the league's number two scorer Stirling Thomas who is averaging 19.6 ppg, while Henry Pwono is ninth in the GAC with 14.5 per contest.
 
Pwono leads the team in rebounding at 8.5 boards per outing which is third best in the GAC.