SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (6-4, 3-1 GAC) returns to GAC play tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. as host of Henderson State (6-4, 3-1 GAC) before completing this week's homestand on Saturday afternoon against Ouachita Baptist (4-4, 2-2 GAC) at 3:00 p.m. Both contests will be played inside the Noble Complex.
Each game will be streamed on the Bison Sports Network with play-by-play commentary from Todd Miller and color commentary by Scott Wanish.
Tomorrow marks the 20th all-time meeting between the Bison and the Reddies with the series leaning in favor of the home team, 11-8. HSU has not beaten OBU since the 2019-20 season. Saturday's matchup will feature the 34th meeting with Ouachita. OBU edges the all-time series by one game, 17-16, and has beaten OUA three consecutive times.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bison started its 2023 campaign with a 91-70 victory over MidAmerica Nazarene on Monday afternoon. Led by senior
Nigel Wilcox's 19 points and two other double-figure scorers, OBU chalked up 49 points on 61.1% shooting in the second half to fend off a determined MNU bunch.
NEWCOMERS
A host of newcomers made their presence known in Monday's defeat over MidAmerica. Most namely, Caleb Riggs and Kayden Carter. Riggs scored a season-high seven points on 50% shooting, while Carter charted six points with five rebounds. Riggs, a Mid-America Christian transfer, led MACU in scoring (12.3 ppg) a season ago. In minutes played for the Bison, the senior has shot 45.5% from the floor and scored 11 points. Carter, a sophomore transfer from Seminole State College, has seen action in two games in 2022-23. In his Bison debut against East Central on Dec. 12, the forward's team-high 6-6 showing at the free throw line paved the way for the 70-64 victory. He has only missed one shot (3-4) and totals 14 points at an average of 7.0 ppg. Additionally, he is a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe.
Freshman Joshua Udoumoh and Ethan Scott also made valuable contributions to the victory. Udoumoh led OBU in rebounds (6) for the first time this season to go along with six points. It was the first time a freshman led the Bison in rebounds outright since D.J. Freeman brought down a team-high of seven against Henderson State (1/29/22) a season ago. Scott matched Udoumoh's scoring total with a couple of threes and a field goal. The sharpshooter from Mustang ranks third on the team in three-pointers with 10.
Freshman Riley McGuirk and Ty Lippoldt made their first appearances of the season, collecting three and two points, respectively. McGuirk's lone shot from deep hit the bottom of the net, while Lippoldt added two assists and a steal to his stat sheet.
RACKING UP THE NUMBERS
Senior Nigel Wilcox recorded a career-high of 19 points against MNU, his highest point total since coming to OBU in 2020-21. Wilcox's overall career high came on Jan. 19, 2019, when he scored 34 points against Greenville University while playing for Webster University. On Monday, Wilcox shot 7-11 (63.6%) from the field and netted 4-6 from the free throw line.
To date, Wilcox totals 1,163 points, including 488 points with OBU, for a career scoring average of 11.0 ppg. He has more career points than anyone on the team. Furthermore, he is 11 rebounds away from 400 career boards, also the most of any active Bison.
PUT TO THE TEST
Before Monday afternoon, no team had shot over 47.1% percent from the field against Oklahoma Baptist. The two squads coming in for this week's homestand, Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist, have eclipsed that single-game FG% no more than three times apiece. The Reddies have shot over 50% thrice this season, including twice during GAC play. The other, a 54.2 FG%, came against NAIA Williams Baptist. Otherwise, HSU has shot no better than 44.9%. OUA reached the 47.1% mark on two occasions, including one time against league competition. OBU's defense will have to remain at its best to maintain its 42.4% opponent FG% average.
Conversely, the Bison are shooting 47.1% per game. The Reddies' opponent's FG% reads 42.2%, while the Tigers are at 43.7%. OBU finished with an FG% of 50% or better in five contests this season, a figure the opponents have combined to allow three times (HSU-1, OUA-2).
SCOUTING THE REDDIES
Henderson State makes its way to Bison Hill with a 6-4 overall record, including a 3-1 mark in Great American Conference play. The Reddies accompany OBU in a five-way tie for second place in the GAC. HSU comes off an 82-50 victory over Lyon College on Monday in Arkadelphia. Against the Lions, Henderson put together a 45-point second half to claim its sixth win of the season.
Prior to Monday, HSU took on Harding on Dec. 17, resulting in an 87-66 victory. The Reddies put on a shooting clinic, knocking down a season-high 12 three-pointers (12-20, 60%) en route to a 50.8% field goal shooting night.
Head coach Jimmy Elgas, three seasons removed from a GAC title (2019-20), is in his eighth year with the Reddies. He has an overall record of 114-90 (55.8%).
Henderson ranks near the bottom of the league in scoring (10th), putting up 72.2 ppg. Defensively, HSU allows the fifth-most points per game at 66.3 ppg and holds opponents to a 42.2% field goal mark. In the last two games, the Reddies held their opposition to 38.5% or less shooting from the floor. Conversely, Henderson knocked down 22 three-pointers during the span and shot 46.5% from the floor.
Guard Franck Kamgain leads the team in scoring at 13.2 ppg, shooting 49.5%, and has netted 19 threes at a 44.2% clip. Point guard Alvin Miles and forward Tomislav Miholjcic have a matching 10.0 ppg average, led by Miholjcic's team-best 65.6% FG percentage. Miholjcic is the only Reddie to record a double-double, as he coupled 10 points with 10 rebounds against SAU on Dec. 1.
Malik Riddle rounds out the four Reddies who have started all 10 games, averaging 9.6 ppg. Riddle ranks second on the squad in three-point makes (12) and steals (13). The next closest in minutes per game is guard Ryan Boyce, who clocks 19.7 mpg. Boyce averages 7.2 ppg and totals 24 field goals on 52.2% shooting.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Ouachita will visit Southern Nazarene on Thursday before coming to Shawnee on Saturday. The Tigers are 4-4 overall and 2-2 in league play. The squad earned its second GAC victory in a 61-56 defeat of Arkansas-Monticello on Dec. 17.
The Tigers posted its best shooting percentage of the season in the win, finishing 48.9% from the field. Furthermore, OUA recorded a season-best total from the free-throw line with 16 makes.
Heading into Thursday, Ouachita is the eighth-best scoring team in the GAC at 72.6 ppg. Defensively, the Tigers allow 72.7 ppg, a slightly negative margin compared to points scored. Collecting 9.9 steals per game, OUA ranks second in the conference and 17th in the nation. Another notable stat is that Ouachita leads the GAC and ranks 25th in the nation for the least amount of fouls committed per game (14.2). The next closest in the conference, Harding, tallies 14.9 per contest.
Guard LaQuan Bulter Jr. leads the way offensively, averaging 15.1 ppg at a 40.2% shooting clip. Butler also heads the team from beyond the arc, netting 40.5% (17-42) of his shots. Senior Ma'Darius Hobson is the GAC leader in steals per game (2.5) while scoring 12.5 ppg on 49.2% shooting.
Hobson's 15 steals are second to Reggie Martin's team-best of 20. The trio is a significant reason why Ouachita forces 16.2 turnovers per game. Rounding out the Tigers' double-figure scorers is forward Tyler Haynes. Haynes' 11.5 ppg average comes at a 69.6% shooting rate, the best on the team.
Head coach Dennis Nutt is in his 18th season with Ouachita. He has a 221-252 overall record, including a 149-156 (48.9%) mark with OUA.
For more information on Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball, follow the team on Twitter (@OBU_MBB) and Instagram (OBU_MBB).
