Behind a 42-point second half, Oklahoma Baptist (5-4, 3-1 GAC) squeezed out a 70-64 win over East Central (6-4, 1-3 GAC) inside the Kerr Activities Center on Saturday night.
The Bison shot 56.0 percent in the closing half to pull off the come-from-behind victory and improve to 3-1 in conference play. For the game, OBU posted its second-best field goal percentage of the season, finishing 56.8 percent from the field.
D.J. Freeman and Paul King led the charge with 17 points apiece, concluding the night with shooting percentages of 63.6 and 54.5 percent, respectively. King added three rebounds, while Freeman tallied two blocks.
Forward Nigel Wilcox nearly had a double-double, coupling 11 points with eight boards. Wilcox recorded a season-high in blocks (3), a part of five total for Oklahoma Baptist. Trey Doomes rounded out the Bison in double digits as he charted 13 points with one missed field goal (5-6). The senior added a couple of steals and three assists.
Kayden Carter made his OBU debut as 10 minutes of action produced eight points, a steal, and a rebound. Carter led the team with a perfect 6-6 showing from the free throw line.
Tonight’s contest saw 10 lead changes as ECU held the advantage for 56.8 percent of the game. Its largest lead reached five, while the Bison’s reached nine late.
The opposition’s first lead, coming after a three-pointer to start the contest, remained until the 10:23 mark as a Doomes jumper broke OBU through, 16-15.
The Tigers’ reclaimed the advantage moments later and didn’t relinquish its grip until the 6:16 mark when Carter sunk a free throw. Again, East Central took back the lead the following possession and held it until the buzzer rang, indicating intermission, 33-28.
Out of the break, ECU opened with a 7-5 scoring advantage. It wasn’t until Doomes hit a freebie with a little over 12 minutes left to tie the contest at 40-all that OBU got itself back into it.
East Central sprung ahead once more, 42-40, but the Bison took back what was theirs and fought off the feisty squad until the end of the game.
Oklahoma Baptist built its largest lead of the matchup, 68-59, with 12 seconds remaining to solidify the Saturday night victory.
OBU will return to the hardwood in the new year with a Tuesday night contest against MidAmerica Nazarene (10-3, 5-2 Heart) inside the Noble Complex. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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