SWOSU Dumps ECU, 80-62

February 8, 2006

Weatherford, OK - Southwestern Oklahoma State kept its late-season push in full throttle rolling to an easy 80-62 win over East Central at home Wednesday. The victory was the Bulldogs fourth straight and improved their record to 7-15 overall and 4-3 in the Lone Star Conference North Division.

SWOSU now sits alone in third place in the LSC North, trailing second-place Central Oklahoma (5-3) by one-half game. The top four teams qualify for the conference’s post-season tournament.

Lonnie Cooks (5-10, Sr., G, Fort Worth, Texas) led the Bulldogs with 24 points and keyed a spirited defensive effort that frustrated ECU for much of the evening. Cooks had four steals as the Bulldogs forced the Tigers into 20 turnovers and limited ECU to just one made three-pointer in 18 attempts.

McKinley Bethea (F, 6-4, Jr., Destin, Fla.) added 15 points for SWOSU and teammates Othello Alford and Reggie Gunn each had 11.

SWOSU took control early building a 17-9 lead when Cooks was fouled and converted a three-point play with 9:18 in the first half. The Bulldogs never trailed and only once allowed ECU to within two points.

The second-half was highlighted by an emphatic dunk by Michael Reddick that brought a roar from the home crowd. Reddick took a pass from Cooks and soared over an ECU defender to slam home the ball, giving the Bulldogs a 57-43 lead with 9:59 to play.

ECU, which fell to 13-9 overall and 3-4 in league play, were led by Chris Bingle with 16 points.

The Bulldogs will face North division leader Southeastern Oklahoma State Saturday in Durant. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. The game can be heard on KWEY 95.5 FM or can be listened via webcast by clicking on the “Listen Live” link on the school’s athletic website at www. swosu.edu/athletics.