SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team will travel to the Natural State for the first time since 2020 to take on Henderson State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. This will be the 19th meeting all-time between the two, with the Bison holding a narrow 10-8 advantage over the Reddies.
The game will be streamed live on HSUSports.com and heard on the Bison Sports Network featuring Todd Miller on play-by-play and Scott Wanish on color commentary.
Oklahoma Baptist is coming off a much-needed win against East Central after dropping their GAC matchup against Southeastern. The Bison forced 20 turnovers to dominate East Central 82-71 inside the Noble Complex to gain their third GAC triumph of the season. OBU's 20 forced turnovers were a season-best, and the most since the Bison collected the same amount against Central Christian (KS) in 2019. Oklahoma Baptist charted 14 steals, also a season-high, and blocked three shots to suffocate the Tigers' offense. The Bison ravaged ECU in the paint, outscoring East Central 56-38 in the low-block area.
After not playing since November 23, senior
Brantly Thompson re-entered the Bison lineup to post nine points and assist OBU in their win over East Central last week. Thompson came into last week averaging 15.8 points per game in four games of action this season. Despite his absence this season, Thompson ranks second on the squad in assists (24) and three-pointers made (12). During his time at OBU, Thompson holds a career-scoring average of 10.6 points per game and totals 1,228 points. He ranks 26th in the Bison record books in scoring, one place below teammate
Harrison Stoddart who has 1,232 career points. The Tuttle native has 208 career three-pointers and needs 37 more to eclipse Kyle Tolin's (2001-04) 244 triples for third place in Oklahoma Baptist history.
For the second time this season,
Burke Putnam earned Great American Conference Player of the Week honors. The guard was the best player on the court against East Central as he charted 25 points on 10-of-19 shooting. Putnam brought down seven boards, dished out five assists, and collected three steals to lead the Bison to victory. Putnam averages a GAC-best 21.4 points per game this season while shooting 45.7 percent from the floor. He leads OBU in steals (14), assists (28), and is second in rebounds (66). Nationally, his scoring average ranks 23rd, totaling 214 points thus far. The Tulsa native has scored over 20 points in seven games this season and is on track to etch his name in the Oklahoma Baptist records books if he keeps up his scoring average.
Behind Putnam on the scoring chart for OBU is
Jaquan Simms, who is averaging 11.8 points through 10 games played. Simms leads the Bison in three-pointers made, knocking down 21 this season, which is only 11 behind his 2020-21 total of 32. He ranks 10th in the GAC in three-point field goals and is shooting a team-best 36.8 percent from the arc. Freshman
D.J. Freeman is up next, averaging 9.6 points per contest at an efficient 60.3 field-goal percentage. The high-flyer totals 60 boards, ranking third on OBU, including 38 defensive rebounds. He also has 10 blocks, good for first among freshmen in the Great American Conference. Teammate
Nigel Wilcox has also been the man of the glass, collecting 77 rebounds to lead the Bison and rank fifth in the conference. 52 of his rebounds have come on the defensive end, which is a significant reason why OBU is third in the GAC with 272 defensive boards. Wilcox averages 8.2 points per game and has blocked 13 shots, good for third in the league.
Henderson State enters the weekend 7-3, including a 3-1 conference record. The Reddies are currently tied in third-place with OBU in the GAC, as Thursday's victor will claim bragging rights. HSU is coming off a massive 78-75 win over Lone Star conference affiliate Dallas Baptist on December 20.
Malik Riddle leads Henderson State in scoring, averaging 10.4 points per game, and is the only Reddie averaging double-digits this season. Riddle is shooting 42.9 percent from the field and ranks second on the team in three-pointers (12). Henderson is one of the deeper teams in the conference, as their balanced scoring continues with Xavier Davenport, who averages 8.7 points per game. Franck Karngain, averaging 7.9 points per contest, leads the Reddies from deep with 13 made triples. Coming in behind Karngain is Alvin Miles (7.7 PPG) and Quawn Marshall (7.1 PPG) in scoring per game. Marshall ranks sixth in the GAC with 20 steals, averaging 2.0 per game, and leads HSU in free-throws made (25).
The Reddies are led by head coach Jimmy Elgas, who is in his seventh season with HSU. He pioneered Henderson State's capture of the 2020 Great American Conference title, finishing 23-8 that season. Elgas has a 99-77 overall record, including a 67-64 GAC tally in his stint at HSU.
