OBU's Rally Falls Short in Championship Loss to Henderson

BARTLESVILLE, Okla. - The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team was down by as many as 16 points in the GAC Championship Game against Henderson State and rallied all the way back to make it a three point game with two minutes to play. However, it was not enough as the Reddies closed out the game and took home the GAC Championship with a 72-61 victory.

The Bison hope their incredible run is not yet done as they sit at 22-9 and await tonight's NCAA Championship Selection Show to see if their season continues. 

On this Sunday though, the Reddies used timely shooting an stifling defense to knock off the Bison and earn their automatic bid to the tournament, one that was needed after they came into the tournament as the No. 9 team in the Central Region. 

The Bison shot 20 of 60 (33%) from the field, easily their worst of the tournament, including 10 3-pointers while going 11 of 15 from the line. The Reddies were 27 of 51 (53%) from the field and 7 of 16 (44%) from deep. OBU turned it over 11 times while Henderson only gave it away 10 times. 

The Reddies were red hot in the first seven minutes as they took a 5-5 tie and turned it into a 14-2 run to move ahead 19-7. The turnover bug bit OBU in the early going as well as cold shooting.

The Bison responded with a 14-4 run of their own as Rashad Lewis and Jaquan Simms knocked down jumpers including an incredible four point play from Lewis to make it a 23-21 game.

However, the Reddies answered back with a 10-0 run and closed the half with a 10 point lead at 35-25. 

It would be more Reddie firepower in the second half as they extended the lead to 15. Lewis wheeled the Bison back, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and cutting the game back down to seven at 44-37 with 14 minutes to play.

However, Henderson hit a spurt of their own, turning an eight point lead into a 16 points lead thanks to a 10-2 run.

With six minutes to play, OBU fought back with a 13-0 run including 3-pointers from Simms and Brantly Thompson to cut it to a three point game with 2:30 to play. However, OBU did not have enough to complete the comeback as Henderson closed it out with eight straight point, primarily at the free throw line, to close the game and championship at 72-61.

Lewis scored a career-high 27 points including five 3-pointers to go with five steals and three assists while Simms had 13 points and five boards. Dishon Lowery added nine points and 11 boards while Jarius Hicklen scored five points.

Chris Parker and Mike Fofana led a balanced Henderson scoring effort with 14 each while Anthony Lupardus had 12 and Rel Johnson pitched in 11. 

Lowery, Simms, and Lowery were all named to the GAC All-Tournament Team. Parker of Henderson State was named MVP.

The Bison find out their postseason fate at 9:30 CT tonight on the selection show on ncaa.com.