MONTICELLO, Ark. – A motivated Oklahoma Baptist (11-5, 8-2 GAC) team hit eleven threes, including six from senior Jaquan Simms, to take care of Arkansas-Monticello (8-7, 4-5 GAC) 80-68 on Saturday evening inside Steelman Fieldhouse.
Tonight meant a little more as the Bison banded together to uplift head coach Jason Eaker in his time of need. OBU shot an efficient 49.1 percent from the floor and were nearly flawless from the charity stripe, hitting 13-of-14 of their attempts.
Oklahoma Baptist finished with the advantage in multiple categories, including holding the lead 76.6 percent of the contest. The Bison were the more determined bunch today, as they brought down 37 rebounds and ground to a 14-5 advantage in second-chance points.
The Bison jumped out to an early 13-8 lead following a Burke Putnam three at the 9:57 mark. Teammate Jaquan Simms turned around to net a triple of his own, putting the good guys up 16-8 to start his first-half three-point onslaught.
Simms proceeded to score 11 points before closing out the half with a buzzer-beating bomb from deep to send the Bison into the break with a 37-20 advantage.
UAM came out of the intermission to mount a 10-2 run, cutting their deficit to nine with 17:28 left. OBU responded with a series of baskets to stay ahead, stretching their lead to 17 at its peak.
The Boll Weevils made things interesting, drawing within nine, but the OBU lead was insurmountable as the Bison walked off the court victorious.
Simms had a night. The sharpshooter went 8-of-11 from the field, including six triples, to score a season-high 25 points. Senior Harrison Stoddart recorded 14 points and six rebounds, while Putnam charted 13. Putnam also led the squad with three steals, which he has done four other times this season.
Brantly Thompson rounds out OBU's double-digit scorers, finishing with 12 and a team-high seven rebounds. Down low, Nigel Wilcox contributed eight points with five boards.
Richard Feagin led UAM with 25 points, including four triples, while Wesley Booker charted 19. Booker brought down a team-high nine rebounds as Ray Price was next highest-scorer, finishing with seven.
OBU retains their first-place standing in the Great American Conference with today's victory, as they'll look to Monday for another GAC matchup with Southern Arkansas at 6:00 p.m.
