DURANT, Okla. – Despite coming within five points late in the second half, Oklahoma Baptist (13-14, 10-11 GAC) couldn't eclipse a hot-shooting Southeastern (17-9, 14-7 GAC) squad in a 90-87 defeat inside Bloomer Sullivan arena on Thursday night.
The Savage Storm knocked down 14 three-pointers at a 46.7 shooting rate, while the Bison netted 8-20 (40%) from range. Still, OBU shot better from the field, posting a 53.0 field goal percentage compared to SE's 50 percent clip.
A glaring difference down the stretch was Southeastern's ability to get to the charity stripe, recording nine of their 11 free throw attempts in the second half. Conversely, OBU totaled just six attempts for the game.
Joshua Udoumoh and
Ricky Brown scored 17 points apiece, highlighted by Udoumoh's team-high eight field goals. The figure was a career-high for Udoumoh, adding a three-point make to his stat sheet. Brown charted three assists and nearly registered a double-double with eight rebounds.
D.J. Freeman and
Nigel Wilcox pitched in 16 and 12 points. Freeman shot 7-8 from the field and collected seven boards while Wilcox added seven rebounds.
Ethan Scott led the Bison from range with three triples, finishing with nine points.
Both teams started at an efficient shooting rate, trading buckets through the first 10 minutes of action until the scoreboard read in favor of the Savage Storm, 22-17. During the stretch Wilcox (6) and Freeman (4) combined for 10 points.
The Bison tied the contest a 27-all at the 6:35 mark before going cold for over four minutes to allow a 45-35 Southeastern lead going into the break.
SE carried its momentum in the second half, leading by as much as 20 with seven minutes remaining in the stanza. Then OBU got back on track.
Oklahoma Baptist mounted its comeback in a 6-8 (75%) shooting stretch that cut its deficit down to 10 (71-61) with 10 minutes left. The Bison stayed hot for the next two minutes, outscoring Southeastern 10-2 to trail by four.
However, the Savage Storm closed the window of opportunity the rest of the way to complete the victory.
OBU returns to the Noble Complex on Saturday for senior night and date with East Central at 7:30 p.m.
