ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Playing almost exclusively with six players, Oklahoma Baptist (7-4, 4-1 GAC) halted a second half Henderson State (7-4, 3-2 GAC) rally to win 83-78 in Arkadelphia on Thursday night.
Tonight was the first Bison victory in Arkadelphia since 2017, when OBU overcame the Reddies 81-79 in overtime.
Burke Putnam and D.J. Freeman shined tonight, scoring 28 and 18 points, respectively. Putnam was 9-of-14 from the floor, dished out five assists, and grabbed seven rebounds. However, it was arguably more impressive that he drew nine fouls, making good on 9-of-11 attempts from the free-throw line, and collected a team-best three steals. Freeman was 6-of-7 (85.7%) shooting, including a perfect 2-for-2 from the arc, and brought down a team-best nine boards. He'd add two blocks and a steal to complete his night.
As a team, Oklahoma Baptist finished shooting 50 percent from the field, including a 56 percent mark in the second half. OBU knocked down a season-high 10 triples tonight, as eight came in the inaugural half.
After the Reddies broke the game's seal, OBU scored six straight to lead 8-2 early in the first half. HSU then battled back, cutting their deficit to one, but the Bison caught fire to go up by eight by the 10:57 mark.
Shortly afterward, a Jordan Thompson three-pointer gave Oklahoma Baptist their largest lead of the half, going up 11 and drawing the tally to 29-18. The momentum continued until the half's end, with OBU holding a 41-33 advantage.
Out of the break, the Bison poured onto their count to lead by as much as 18 until Henderson State mounted a comeback. The Reddies scored 21 points to cut into their deficit and trail by four with 5:59 left, 69-65.
The two squads exchanged blows as HSU nearly overcame the Bison lead, but clutch visits at the charity stripe from Putnam and Freeman sealed OBU's victory.
Seniors Brantly Thompson and Jaquan Simms scored 13 and eight points in valuable minutes. Thompson also brought down six rebounds and recorded four assists. Other notables were Nigel Wilcox and Jordan Thompson, who contributed seven and six points.
Alvin Miles and Malik Riddle led the Reddies with 18 and 16 points, respectively. The two combined for four three-pointers and 13 rebounds. Rounding off Henderson's double-digit scorers were Xavier Davenport and Yuri Swinford, who recorded 14 and 11.
