SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team didn't allow a 12-point first-half deficit to affect its play as the Bison erased Harding's early advantage and never looked back, dominating the visiting Bisons 83-62 on Thursday night inside the Noble Complex.
The Bison win their third straight contest, courtesy of a season-high 11 three-pointers. OBU finished the evening with advantages in field-goal percentage, rebounds, and points in the paint. The OBU bench outscored the Bisons 34-16, led by Jaquan Simms.
The senior sharpshooter finished with 20 points, knocking down five triples to tie his season-high from behind the arc. Simms shot 7-of-15 (46%) from the floor and 50 percent from downtown.
Burke Putnam collected 18 points, breaking his three-game streak of scoring 22 or more. Putnam finished four assists shy of a triple-double, bringing down 10 boards with six assists.
Jordan Thompson and Brantly Thompson rounded out the Bison's double-digit scorers, earning 14 and 11 points, respectively. The two combined for five triples, including three from Brantly Thompson, while Jordan Thompson collected three steals.
Nigel Wilcox didn't have to score a lot of points to have an impact in tonight's win, as he pulled down seven rebounds, blocked four shots, and tallied three assists. Harrison Stoddart returned to the starting lineup after not playing since the season's first game, chipping in four points, four boards, and two steals in his 22 minutes of action.
Harding came out on fire, putting the Bison in a 17-5 hole early in the first half. Oklahoma Baptist refocused and mounted a 17-7 run to take a 22-21 lead at the 9:08 mark. Still, HU refused to go away, exchanging baskets with the home team until a Jack Pruitt layup off a Harding turnover sent OBU into halftime with a 35-32 advantage.
Oklahoma Baptist carried their momentum into the second period, pushing the lead to as much as 25. The Bison shot 45 percent in the second half and forced nine Harding turnovers.
Taylor Currie was HU's high-point man, totaling 13 points on 6-of-14 shooting. Guard Sam Henderson added 10 while Stetson Smithson finished with nine.
