SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist continued to strengthen its position in the Great American Conference men's basketball race with a 79-61 victory over visiting Ouachita Baptist. The win improved the Bison to 6-6 overall and 5-1 in league play where they remain tied with Southern Nazarene, Arkansas Monticello and Southern Arkansas for the top spot.
The Bison continue conference play traveling t face Harding on Thursday, Jan. 10 and conclude its road swing with a matchup at Arkansas Tech on Saturday, Jan. 12. OBU's next home game is Thursday, Jan. 17 against instate rival and defending GAC champion Southern Nazarene.
Harrison Stoddart and
Tyler Lester each scored 16 points to lead the Bison. They were joined in double figures by teammate
Antonio Wade who added 14.
OBU carried a comfortable double-digit lead throughout much of the second half and kept the Tigers at a safe distance throughout. OBU's biggest lead was 20 points with 8:21 remaining. Ouachita cut the margin to 11 on two occasions. An emphatic slam by
Davion Turner with 2:49 to play gave the Bison a 19-point lead at 75-56.
The Bison shook free from a sluggish start that saw them down 15-2 after just four minutes of play. Â Lester scored the next five points and kickstarted a run that saw the Bison outscore their guest by a 27-2 margin over the next 10 minutes.
Brantly Thompson's three-pointer with 8:45 in the first half gave the Bison their first lead at 22-20. The cushion grew throughout the half and when
Julian Daughtry scored on a short jumper the Bison took a 41-27 lead into the locker room.
The Bison finished the game making 24-of-51 shots for 47 percent, including 10 three pointers. Lester led the way with four triples for the Bison. OBU outrebounded the visitors by a 42-28 margin, a plus 14 advantage.
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