ADA, Okla. – Behind a combined 49 points from Tauriawn Knight and Damion Thornton, the SWOSU Men's Basketball team defeated East Central 99-87 on Thursday night in the first game of the 2020-21 season.
 
The game was close during the first half, but SWOSU pulled away after the break, outscoring the Tigers 50-41 in the final 20 minutes to build a lead as high as 20 points before letting off the gas in the closing minutes. The Bulldogs shot 49.2% from the field and hit nine three-pointers in the game, including seven from Knight in his debut at SWOSU.
 
Knight led the Dawgs with 25 points, hitting 9-of-15 field goal attempts while Thornton was right behind with a double-double of 24 points and 14 rebounds, which included 8-of-9 shooting from the stripe. Bralyn James chipped in 16 points while Chris Braggs, Jr., had 13 points off the bench.
 
SWOSU opens the season 1-0 with the win and the Dawgs will be back in action on Saturday, hosting Southeastern Oklahoma State at 4:00 pm. Fans are not permitted at the Pioneer Cellular Event Center for the first two weeks of the season, but fans can catch all the action at SWOSUAthletics.com.