SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team will close out their 2021-22 home schedule as they'll host Arkansas-Monticello and Southern Arkansas on Thursday and Saturday inside the Noble Complex.
Thursday's matchup is slated for 7:30 p.m., while Saturday's game is set to tip-off at 3:00 p.m.
The games will be streamed on OBUBison.com and heard on the Bison Sports Network featuring Todd Miller on play-by-play and Scott Wanish on color commentary.
The contest with UAM will be the 13th all-time meeting between the two, with the Bison holding a 7-6 lead over the Boll Weevils. Saturday's action will feature the 12th all-time meeting with the Muleriders, as Southern Arkansas has an 8-3 advantage against OBU.
On Monday night, Oklahoma Baptist posted a dominating 73-65 win over Southern Nazarene. The Bison charted 42 points in the paint and forced 14 turnovers to best the team from Bethany.
Jaquan Simms and Burke Putnam had monster games, pouring in 26 and 24 points. Simms' total was the second-highest of his Bison career while Putnam collected his 13th 20-point game this season. Furthermore, Putnam shot 71.4 percent while Simms finished at 61.5 percent, including five triples from the Georgia native.
In Simms' illustrious basketball career, he totals 1,659 points. A little under half, 785 points, were collected at his previous stop at Limestone College. With 874 points accumulated at OBU, he ranks third among active Bison players in career points. The guard is five triples shy of 250 career makes from beyond the arc.
Putnam totals 1,832 points earned throughout his career with OBU, Valdosta State, and Connors College. He has 491 points with Oklahoma Baptist thus far and has the chance to join exclusive Bison company for a single-season total if he reaches the 500-point mark. Furthermore, he is on pace to average over 20.0 points per game, which hasn't been accomplished by a Bison since Buck Alexander in 1978.
Arkansas Monticello enters Thursday with a 10-13 overall record, including a 6-11 conference mark. They are currently 10th place in the GAC after a 71-55 loss to Southern Arkansas on Monday.
UAM's offensive attack is led by Richard Feagin Jr., who averages 13.0 points per contest. Feagin Jr. shoots 41.4 percent from the field and totals a team-best 43 three-pointers. Josh Williams ranks second in scoring, averaging 11.0 points per game at a 40.9 field-goal shooting clip. Williams leads the Boll Weevils in free-throw makes (65), netting 78.4 percent of his attempts. Ray Price rounds off UAM's double-figure scorers, averaging 10.5 per game.
Southern Arkansas will enter Thursday on a four-game winning streak, the longest active winning stretch in the GAC. The Muleriders are set to face Southern Nazarene before meeting the Bison on Saturday.
SAU is led by Devante Brooks, who averages a double-double at 17.0 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per contest. His 271 rebounds rank fifth in Division II. Point guard Aaron Lucas is at 13.7 points per game, as he leads the squad in assists (79). Lucas has netted a team-best 51 three-pointers, good for ninth in the GAC.
Jalen Brooks and Blake Rogers conclude the Muleriders in double-digits, averaging 12.8 and 10.7 points per game. Brooks is second on the team in rebounds (183) while Rogers is second in three-point makes (46).
