ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Forward David Ekezie scored a career-high 16 points and made the game-winning layup with 18 seconds left to lead University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men's Basketball to a 56-52 win at Henderson State Saturday.

It was the second straight year that the Lions defeated the Reddies in the final seconds.

Ekezie was a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and broke a 52-52 tie by converting a layup off a pass from guard Cameron Bush. Ekezie went 4-for-6 from the free throw line, as well, and added seven rebounds.

Tied at the half, UAFS later used a 10-1 run to open up a 44-34 lead with 10 minutes remaining. However, the Reddies went on a 9-0 run over the next two and a half minutes before Ekezie ended it with a layup.

That spurred a 7-0 spurt by the Lions as they extended the lead back to eight. But the Lions only mustered an Ekezie free throw over the next three minutes as the Reddies tied the game at 52 before the Ekezie game winner.

Guard Payton Brown then sealed the game with a pair of free throws after a defensive stop. Brown would add 14 points for the Lions while Bush scored 10 points to go with seven rebounds and four assists.

Guard Evan Anderson dished out a team-high seven assists.

Defensively, the Lions held the Reddies to 28.1 percent shooting and 21.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Next up for the Lions is the Thanksgiving Classic, which will see the Lions host Harding and Ouachita Baptist Nov. 25-26 at Gayle Kaundart Arena at the Stubblefield Center.