RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – With the help of 36 points from senior Harrison Stoddart, the Oklahoma Baptist basketball team (16-6, 13-3 GAC) earned a hard-fought 76-70 win in Russellville on Thursday night.
The Bison won their fifth straight game, retaining the top spot in the Great American Conference.
Stoddart outscored Tech in the first half 20-19, a part of the 44 points OBU recorded in the opening frame.
It was all Oklahoma Baptist through the first 20 minutes as Stoddart collected the first two buckets, putting the good guys up 4-2 early on.
Then, he'd start the runaway train. Stoddart put in the first of four first-half three-pointers at 13:07 to ignite a 29-11 run that lasted until intermission.
Arkansas Tech finished the half shooting 29.6 percent, while OBU shot 48.6 percent, including five from deep.
OBU's momentum would waver in the second half as the Wonder Boys started to chip into their deficit. With 13:34 left in the game, OBU's lead was 23, 55-32. Moments before, their lead reached as much as 25.
ATU mounted a 16-5 stretch, involving three straight from deep to trail 60-48 with a little over seven minutes remaining.
The Bison managed to cool Tech down with two triples from Stoddart, building their lead back up to 18. However, the Wonder Boys kept competing.
At the 1:17 mark, OBU was ahead by 13. Arkansas Tech netted back-to-back threes to trail by seven with 26 seconds remaining.
Oklahoma Baptist finally shut the door of opportunity as Burke Putnam waved off a feisty crowd with a dagger free-throw to cement the Bison's triumph.
Stoddart's total crushed his previous career-high of 27 points, set last season against Southwestern, and were the most scored by any Bison player this season. His six three-point makes tied his career-best, recorded back in 2019 versus East Central. He also added seven boards and went 4-for-6 from the charity stripe.
Putnam was the only other OBU player in double-figures, finishing with 17 points. He brought down a team-best nine rebounds and netted 7-of-10 from the free-throw line.
Other notables were Nigel Wilcox and Brantly Thompson, who turned in eight points apiece. Thompson led the team with six assists while Wilcox collected three boards.
Tech's Tony Hall finished with 17 points and six rebounds while Calvin Allen chipped in 14.
On Saturday, Oklahoma Baptist returns to action against Harding, wrapping up their final road trip in Arkansas this season. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m.
