WAYNE, Neb. – Oklahoma Baptist (0-2, 0-0 GAC) wrapped up its time at the GAC/NSIC Challenge with a 78-68 loss to the Wildcats of Wayne State College (1-1, 0-0 NSIC) on Saturday night.
After leading 32-31 lead going into halftime, OBU fell into a shooting slump. The Bison shot 37.9 percent from the floor and sunk just one of its eight three-point attempts in the second half.
Meanwhile, Wayne State posted a 41.4 percent shooting clip and knocked down four triples.
Still, the Bison finished with the higher field goal percentage (39.1%), but its advantage in the category summed up the green and gold's good fortune this evening.
OBU jumped out to a 6-2 lead following a Paul King step-back jumper in the first half. WSC closed the gap moments later, mounting a 5-2 run to claim a 7-6 lead at the 15:26 mark.
Almost three minutes would tick off the clock before the Bison regained an 8-7 advantage.
Oklahoma Baptist reached its largest lead of 23-18 with 6:13 left before it didn't stand as the opposition knocked down a few shots to tie the contest at 29-all with three minutes remaining.
King would net a three-pointer to garner his team the advantage going into the break.
Wayne State's first points of the second half, a triple from Jordan Janseen, sparked a 9-0 run that resulted in a 40-34 WSC lead.
The Bison drew within four with 13 minutes left, but the Wildcats wouldn't allow OBU any closer, as they squeezed out tonight's triumph.
King led all OBU scorers for the second straight night with a 23-point performance. He knocked down three from behind the arc, dished out four assists, and brought down four rebounds.
Trey Doomes scored 17 points and tallied five boards, while D.J. Freeman registered 11 points. Freeman added game-highs in rebounds (9) and steals (3).
Ricky Brown recorded five points with six boards and a steal.
WSC's Janssen led the opposition with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while Nate Mohr chipped in 17 points.
Oklahoma Baptist returns to Shawnee to battle Missouri Western (1-1, 0-0 MIAA) in its home opener inside the Noble Complex on November 17 at 6 p.m.
