SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (3-3, 0-0 GAC) fought off a resilient Arlington Baptist (2-6, 0-0 NCCAA) first-half effort en route to a 95-62 victory in Monday night's non-conference finale inside the Noble Complex.
OBU earns its third triumph of the season before heading into Thursday's GAC opener against Southwestern Oklahoma State.
Five Bison entered the double-digit column tonight, led by freshman Terry Coner Jr.'s 15 points. It was Coner's fifth-consecutive game with double figures as his score sheet featured a tie for the team's most three-point makes and a trio of assists.
Trevin Wade and Daniel Ransom poured in matching totals of 14 points, highlighted by Ransom's 6-for-7 showing from the charity strip.
Legend Barrett nearly claimed his first double-double after posting career highs in points (10) and rebounds (8). Freshman TJ Strong also recorded a season-high 10 points while bringing down six rebounds.
Rounding out the notables were Ethan Scott's nine points, which all came from behind the arc, and Ricky Brown's eight points. Furthermore, Brown charted five steals, a feat he has accomplished one other time in his career on Bison Hill.
The Patriots from Texas gave OBU everything it could handle early on, trading the game's advantage until Oklahoma Baptist edged a two-point cushion midway through the first stanza.
ABU took the lead back twice, going ahead by as much as three until the Bison found its rhythm.
After a Barrett layup tied the game at 24-all, Oklahoma Baptist closed the half on a 19-1 run and earned a 41-25 margin going into the break. Coner recorded eight points, while Barrett added five during the span.
It was all Bison afterward, as they'd limit the opposition to a 35.3 percent shooting clip the rest of the way.
OBU shot 45.0 percent for the game and owned the painted area with 56 points down low. Additionally, thtey forced a season-best 22 turnovers that included 14 steals.
Oklahoma Baptist will wrap its seven-game home tour against the Bulldogs of SWOSU in three days. Tip-off inside the Noble Complex is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
