SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist will look to extend their four-game winning streak as they'll travel to Russellville for a Thursday night matchup with Arkansas Tech. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. inside Tucker Coliseum. Then the Bison will complete their road trip on Saturday against Harding. Tip-off is scheduled for 3 p.m. in Searcy.
The contest with Tech will be the 18th all-time meeting between the two, as the Bison hold a 9-7 series lead.
The game will be streamed on ArkansasTechSports.com and heard on the Bison Sports Network featuring Todd Miller on play-by-play and Scott Wanish on color commentary.
OBU is coming off an 80-73 win over Arkansas Tech on Monday, highlighted by a 30-point performance from Burke Putnam. He recorded his second-highest point total of the season, shooting 71.4 percent from the field. Putnam also drew nine fouls as he made 9-of-13 from the charity stripe. In fact, he totals 87 made free throws, which is first in the conference.
With 424 total points this season, Putnam nears his single-season best in total points. In the 2018-19 season with Connors State College, he racked up 512 points in 32 games. Putnam has only played in 21 games this season, with seven more guaranteed. Furthermore, his most recent performance is the fourth time, including his time at Valdosta and Connors, with 30 or more points in a game.
Oklahoma Baptist has finally made traction in the Central Region, ranking No. 8 in the latest D2SIDA Region Polls. The Bison have sat at No. 9 since Jan. 10, but have a chance to climb their way up with a host of critical games coming up. Two opponents, Southeastern Oklahoma and Southern Nazarene, were also mentioned in this week's poll at No. 7 and No. 10. OBU will meet SNU next week and travel down to Durant on Feb. 24 in marquee matchups that'll determine the makeup of the rankings. In the Great American Conference, the Bison remain in first place.
Arkansas Tech enters Thursday with an 8-12 overall mark, including a 5-9 conference record. Tomorrow will be the third game in an eight-day span where the Wonderboys will take the floor. Tech is coming off a 68-63 win over the Harding in Russellville on Tuesday. Four members of the Wonder Boys ended the night in double-figure scoring numbers.
Czar Perry (16.5 PPG) had led the Wonderboys offense before he was sidelined with COVID-19 complications, but Senior Tony Hall has taken over the reins since. Hall is averaging 12.5 points per game and leads Tech with 128 rebounds. Kennedy Cameron ranks third in scoring, averaging 9.9 per game, and has knocked down a team-best 45 triples. Cameron shoots 40.9 percent from beyond the arc, which is sixth in the conference.
Down low, forward Niko Gosnell has been a force. Gosnell averages 9.5 per game and is a few days off his season-high 26 point performance against Oklahoma Baptist. He made 10-of-11 from the floor and went 6-of-8 at the charity stripe. Gosnell added six boards as ATU nearly knocked off OBU on Monday.
The Wonderboys are led by head coach Mark Downey who is in his sixth season with Tech. He holds a 210-150-2 overall record, including a 92-66 mark in Russellville.
Harding will enter Thursday with a 4-17 overall record and a 2-13 mark in the GAC.
The Bisons have lost nine straight games, most recently falling 68-63 to Arkansas Tech on Tuesday. Collectively, HU has not been able to put things together, as they're being outscored 80.3-71.0 points per game.
Their offense is led by Taylor Currie, who is averaging 17.0 points per contest while Stetson Smithson is at 15.3 per game. Ramiro Santiago rounds off the Bisons' in double figures, averaging 11.3 per game.
