SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist welcomes East Central to the Noble Complex on Saturday night with the hope of re-entering the win column after dropping its first Great American Conference game against Southeastern Oklahoma State last week. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
The game will streamed on the Bison Sports Network with the play-by-play commentary of Todd Miller and Scott Wanish. The duo will also broadcast the games on the Bison Radio Network.
MATCH-UP HISTORY
This will be the 162nd hardwood meeting between the ball clubs, with the Tigers holding a 82-79 all-time lead. In their first-ever clash during the 1919-20 season, Oklahoma Baptist came out on top 32-28. Since joining the GAC, OBU has an 11-9 record against ECU and have won four out of the last five matchups.
A season ago, East Central took down OBU 78-70 in overtime in Shawnee, earning its first victory in the series since February 11, 2021.
DEFENDING THE NOBLE COMPLEX
Since officially joining the NCAA in 2017, OBU boasts a 60-26 (69.7%) record on its home floor. The figure includes five wins over this week's opponent, East Central. The best home record during the seven-year span came in 2019-20 when the Bison went 13-1, while its longest streak occurred in 2021-22. That season, Oklahoma Baptist won 10 consecutive home games.
Head coach Jason Eaker owns a 54-19 (73.9%) record inside the Noble Complex and a 10-4 overall record against the Tigers.
STANDING IN THE CONFERENCE
Coming off its first GAC loss, the Bison's 2-1 conference record sits in a three-way tie for second place alongside East Central in the league standings. Arkansas Tech holds onto first place with an undefeated 3-0 mark.
TRENDS
OBU's play has progressively improved since starting conference play. It begins with their shooting, which has jumped from a 32.3 percent field goal mark - GAC opening win over SWOSU - to a 59.0 percent clip last week. It was the best shooting night all season and the highest since a Jan. 7 win over Ouachita Baptist (61.5%) last year.
Outside the arc, the Bison have knocked down six or more shots, highlighted by 11 threes at Northwestern Oklahoma State on Dec. 2. The last two games, 19 three-pointers have hit the bottom of the net for the green and gold.
There has been success at the free throw line, too. OBU's seven free throws against SE snapped a four-game streak of 10-plus makes, which dated back to the Nov. 25 contest against West Texas A&M. Nonetheless, the Bison went 7-for-10 (70%) from the line, its third consecutive game shooting 70.0 percent from the stripe.
SCORING AT WILL
At 81.3 points per game, OBU is the second best scoring offense in the GAC. They've chalked up 80-plus points in three of the last four contests. The Bison have never posted a scoring average above 80.0 ppg in the Division II era, as a 79.6 ppg mark in 2019-20 is the most to this point.
DOMINATING THE BOARDS
Oklahoma Baptist leads the Great American Conference and ranks seventh in the nation in rebounds per game (43.3 rbg). They've won the rebound margin in all but two games, including every contest since beginning GAC action.
Nathan Wilson leads the rebounding efforts with 62 total, an average of 6.9 per game (8.3 rbg since starting GAC play). He is tied for the most rebounds in the conference with Arkansas Tech's Josh Mitchell. Wilson has six games with seven or more boards, including a season high of 12 against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Nov. 30.
Prior to OBU, as a member of South Georgia Technical College, Wilson racked up 391 rebounds in 62 games. Add this season's total, he has 453 career boards (6.3/gm), the most of all active Bison.
SHAKING BACK
Joshua Udoumoh turned in 11 points with one missed field goal against Southeastern, posting a 5-for-6 (83.3%) tally from the floor. It was the fifth time he netted five field goals in his young career on Bison Hill, three times as a freshman and twice this season. Additionally, the feat marked his third double digit game of the year, boosting his career total to 10.
The performance brought the guard out of a four-game shooting slump, where he only registered three field goals and 11 points. Furthermore, his one three-pointer against the Savage Storm snapped a eight-game streak without a bucket from range.
WADE IN THE WATER
Trevin Wade turned in a career-high nine assists versus Southeastern, the most by a Bison since Paul King dished out 10 versus Harding a season ago. Wade's previous career-best was eight assists, a feat he achieved four times while playing at Georgia Highlands College in 2019-20. With one more assist, he would've collected his third-career double-double.
This season, Wade ranks second on the team in scoring (13.7 ppg) with the ninth-best field-goal percentage (46.8%) in the GAC. He has reached double digits in points six times and leads the team in assists (29). Wade's number of assists ranks sixth in the league while his average per game (4.1) sits fourth.
The guard's aasist/turnover ratio is notable, too, as the 2.64 mark ranks second in the conference and 44th nationally.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
East Central enters Saturday after picking up its second conference win against Southwestern Oklahoma State. The victory boosted the Tigers overall record to 5-3 and conference tally to 2-1. It is their best start to league play since the 2017-18 season.
Head coach Daniel Wheeler is in second year at the helm and hopes to repeat the success of an inaugural season that saw an 18-11 record and a GAC Tournament berth.
ECU boasts the 13th-best scoring defense in the country (1st GAC), allowing just 64.2 ppg. The Tigers hold opponents to a 43.9 percent field goal mark per game and force the fourth-most turnovers per contest in the league (14.7).
East Central's 75.7 percent mark from the free throw line ranks second in the GAC, while their amount made per game is fourth (13.6). They've put in 11 or more freebies in every contest season and have yet to shoot under 64.7 percent. Last week against SWOSU, ECU went 11-for-13 (84.6%) from the stripe, its second-best percentage of the year.
Senior guard Kenyon Thomas leads the squad in scoring at 14.1 ppg with a 43.8 percent clip from the floor. Clocking the third-most minutes per game in the GAC (34.8), Thomas adds the team's most assists (29), averaging 3.6 each contest. He has reached double figures in all but one game this season and is riding a four-game streak with 12 or more points scored. Against Southwestern, he poured in a season-high 24 points on 8-of-13 (61.5%) shooting to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
Junior Godsgift Ezedinma pairs the team's second-best scoring average (12.0 ppg) with the most three pointers (16). He sinks 2.0 threes per game (2nd in the GAC) while firing a 37.2 percent clip from beyond the arc. Ezedinma also leads the team in rebounds (45), averaging 5.6 per game, and steals (11). He reached 10 boards once in a Nov. 18 matchup versus Kansas Christian.
Bryce Woolridge and Nikk Williams are also key contributors, scoring 9.1 and 7.9 points per game, respectively. Additionally, senior forward Mohamed Elgohary averages 7.7 ppg and has pulled down the second-most rebounds (37).
