SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (7-10, 4-7 GAC) dropped its third-straight game by less than three points in a 73-72 loss against Southern Nazarene (7-9, 4-7 GAC) on Thursday night.
Down eight points with over a minute to go, the Bison scored seven unanswered to draw within one, but a successful Crimson Storm closeout on a Ricky Brown three-pointer as time expired sealed OBU's fate.
Oklahoma Baptist shot 43.3 percent for the game and turned in its best tally at the free throw line in six games (16-22). OBU only committed five turnovers, its lowest mark all season, and forced 11 SNU miscues.
LEADERS
Terry Coner Jr. and Joshua Udoumoh scored 16 points, highlighted by Udoumouh's 5-for-7 mark from the field. Coner added a game-high in assists (4) and one steal.
Daniel Ransom and Brown charted 14 and 11 points, respectively. Ransom shot 60.0 percent, while Brown paired three rebounds with three makes from beyond the arc.
Nate Wilson flirted with a double-double, pulling down 11 boards and scoring nine points. The forward also turned in a couple of blocks.
FIRST HALF
Southern Nazarene came out on fire, nailing five field goals to jump to an 11-5 advantage. OBU's total came on a 33.3 field goal percentage during the span.
Then a Coner jumper sparked a 6-0 run to erase OBU's deficit and tie the game at 11.
The rivals traded blows until the Crimson Storm went on an 8-0 run under the nine-minute mark, good for a 28-20 advantage. Their lead got up to 10 (34-24) before OBU scored six straight to draw within four.
By the halftime buzzer, Southern Nazarene boasted a 38-30 cushion.
The Crimson Storm shot 48.3 from the floor in the half, while the Bison netted 37.5 percent of its attempts. From beyond the arc, OBU only nailed two of its 10 tries. SNU wasn't much better, as they hit 3-of-10 from deep.
SECOND HALF
Oklahoma Baptist opened the final stanza with five straight points to cut into the SNU lead, but it didn't mean much as the opposition refused to surrender the lead.
However, things got interesting when SNU's Jonas Visser fouled out late in the game. Visser had a career-high 24 points on 11-of-15 shooting before heading to the bench.
At his exit, the Bison trailed the Crimson Storm 73-67.
Down the final stretch, Wilson (1), Wade (2), and Brown (2) combined for five points. Two clutch makes at the charity stripe from Brown brought OBU within striking distance, but as mentioned, Southern Nazarene slammed the door of opportunity and escaped with the win.
NEXT UP
Oklahoma Baptist looks to Saturday's clash in Weatherford with Southwestern Oklahoma State. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
