Thompson Eclipses 1,000 Career Points in Win Over Southeastern

SHAWNEE - Two weeks ago in Durant, senior Harrison Stoddart eclipsed 1,000 career points in a huge win over Southeastern Oklahoma State.

Two weeks later, senior Brantly Thompson came alive in the second half to eclipse 1,000 career points inside the Noble Complex as OBU scored another double-digit victory over Southeastern.

It may seem like deja vu, but the Bison came on late to get their third win of the season over Southeastern, defeating the Savage Storm on Saturday afternoon inside Noble, thanks in part to their three 1,000 point senior scorers in Stoddart, Thompson, and Jaquan Simms.

The Bison shot 27 of 58 (47%) from the field including 14 made 3-pointers, while the Savage Storm were 22 of 55 (40%) from the field and knocked down 11 3-pointers on the night. 

Turnovers were at a premium on the night as OBU gave it away a season-low six times. OBU only took it away eight times, but it included some late clutch steals to seal the win. The Bison held a 35-30 advantage in rebounding.

OBU had all the energy early in the contest, thanks to fans able to attend for the first time this season, as they raced to a 10-0 lead behind a lay in from Stoddart and back-to-back 3-pointers from Trey Green and Simms. A mid-range jumper from Simms forced a timeout and had the bench, and the crowd, off their feet.

Southeastern settled in and turned on the defense as they squeezed OBU and went on a 16-2 run to roll back and lead 16-12, thanks in part to the three ball. The Bison came right back with eight straight points including back-to-back threes from seniors Thompson and Stoddart and the heavyweight fight was on.

The Savage Storm responded with their own 8-0 run to seize the lead back at 24-20 before a three from Jordan Thompson and a lay in from the returning Jarius Hicklen put OBU back ahead 25-24.

Hicklen added a 3-pointer to lead 28-26, but Southeastern got a breakaway lay in at the buzzer to make it a 28-28 contest at the break.

The two teams would square off in the second half as they traded buckets early on with Simms and Nigel Wilcox getting into the scoring column early. Southeastern moved ahead 35-33 before 3-pointers from the seniors Thompson and Stoddart again, followed by a lay in from the senior Simms gave OBU a 41-35 lead off the 8-0 run. Thompson's 3-pointer during the run gave him 1,000 career points at the 16:19 mark.

Southeastern got those six points back almost immediately with the deep ball of their own, but OBU got a short jumper from Hicklen and more deep balls from Thompson and Simms to make it a 49-41 game with under 12 to play.

The game of runs continued as a 9-1 Southeastern blitz got it to a one point game before a huge lay in from Brantly Thompson, followed by a lay up from Stoddart pushed it back to five.

Leading 55-52, it seemed another classic was ready to take place before OBU absolutely exploded for a 15-0 run down the stretch to completely put the game to rest. Stoddart was unconscious during the run as he scored nine points in just over a minute to help push the lead to 18.

As the crowd ignited, OBU celebrated as they won their seventh consecutive game, taking the 70-57 victory.

Stoddart was excellent, finishing with 21 points with eight boards and three blocks, while Simms bounced back from a cold stretch with a huge game, scoring 17 to go with seven assists, six boards, and two steals. Brantly Thompson poured in 13 points.

Hicklen scored nine and had five rebounds in his first action in five games, and Jordan Thompson chipped in five points to go along with five assists.

Bobby Johnson led SE with 22 points and six boards, while Kellen Manek continued his return to play with 22 points. Vadim Clanet had 11 points.

OBU sits at 8-3 overall and 8-2 in the GAC. They will head to Bethany on Monday night and look to make it eight in a row as they battle rival Southern Nazarene. Tip-off from the Sawyer Center in scheduled for 7:30 p.m.