SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team ventures to Arkansas with hopes to break a two-game skid with matchups against Ouachita Baptist and Henderson State. Tonight's game against OUA is set to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday's contest at HSU is slated for a 3:00 p.m. start.
Thursday's game will streamed on the Ouachita Digital Network while both contests will be carried on the Bison Radio Network with the play-by-play commentary of Todd Miller and Scott Wanish. The weekend cap at Henderson can be watched on the
HSU Youtube page.
MATCH-UP HISTORY
The Bison lead both all-time series, 18-17 (Ouachita) and 12-9 (Henderson State). Oklahoma Baptist split last season's matchups versus the Tigers, falling 77-65 in Arkadelphia on Feb. 3 after besting Ouachita in Shawnee on Jan. 7. It was the first OBU loss on Ouachita's home floor since 2019. Prior to the contest, OBU had defeated OUA four straight times.
In the loss, the Bison turned in its fourth-worst shooting percentage of the season (.382) while the Tigers charted its best of the year. OUA posted a 56.9 percent field goal and a season-best 11-of-18 (.611) tally from three-point range. It was the program's best mark from deep since the 2018-19 season. In last year's first head-to-head, Oklahoma Baptist beat Ouachita 79-55 on its best shooting evening of season. OBU fired a 61.5 percent field goal clip and knocked down nine three-pointers. Trey Doomes led Oklahoma Baptist with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double.
The last time OBU faced Henderson State in Arkadelphia, the Bison squeezed out a 80-79 victory on the back of a 27-point performance from Paul King. A month earlier, the Reddies took down Oklahoma Baptist 75-72 in Shawnee to earn its first victory over OBU since 2020. In the triumph, HSU recorded eight triples, a feat they accomplished four total times last season.
HE CAN'T MISS
In just his second start of the season, freshman standout Terry Coner Jr. scored 33 points in the last game against East Central. It is the most points recorded by a freshman since Oklahoma Baptist joined Division II. The feat breaks his own rookie record of 24 points, set earlier this season against Minnesota Crookston. The guard shot a staggering 63.1 percent from the floor, which included a career-high six triples (6-9). His previous best came the game before versus Southeastern Oklahoma State, where he again finished with a 66.7 percent clip (4-6) from beyond the arc.
Coner Jr.'s three-point success boosted him to the team-lead in triples (21). The mark ranks seventh in the GAC and first among freshman. Furthermore, he has reached the sum shooting 51.2 percent, which is second in the league. Coner Jr. only trails Kody Clouet (.530) for the conference lead
The Birmingham, Ala. native has scored 175 points thus far, the fifth-best mark by a freshman in OBU's DII stint. Jarius Hicklen holds the record at 281 points (2019-20) while the list also includes Ethan Scott, who chalked up 177 points a season ago. On the year, Coner Jr. averages 17.5 ppg, highlighted by a 21.0 ppg mark in Great American Conference play alone.
EFFICIENT WORK
Another scoring threat is Ricky Brown, who is quietly having an elite year. Brown is averaging the third-most points per game on the team (12.4) while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor. He has also put in the second-most threes (20) and only missed one of 13 attempts (12-of-13) from the free throw line this season. A season ago, he went 24-26 (.923) from the charity stripe.
Versus East Central, Brown tallied his second-career double-double after collecting 14 points and 10 rebounds. His first came in the 2022-23 GAC Tournament quarterfinals versus Southern Arkansas when he grabbed 10 boards and scored 16 points.
PUTTING THE BALL IN THE BASKET
Despite two straight losses, the Bison have not struggled to score as their 81.5 ppg average is second in the conference. In the last three games, OBU has reached 83 or more points while shooting above 54.5 percent from the field. Furthermore, the last two games, the Bison shot 59.0 and 57.7 percent.
They've had no trouble from three-point range, either, as their 36.1 percent clip from beyond the arc ranks fifth in the league. Additionally, OBU has knocked down 11 or more triples in the two of the last three contests (NWOSU-11, ECU-14).
SCOUTING OUACHITA BAPTIST
The Tigers enter bring a 3-6 overall record into tonight's game, including a 1-3 conference tally. They earned their first GAC win of the season in a 80-74 defeat of Arkansas Monticello. It was their fourth straight triumph over the Boll Weevils. Prior to, their lone victories came over NCCAA members Ecclesia College (103-73) and Dallas Christian (91-42).
A season ago, as the No. 8 seed, Ouachita upset top-seeded Southern Nazarene 70-67 in the GAC Tournament before bowing out in the semis against Arkansas Tech. It was the first time an eight-seed team had downed the one-seed in the tourney since 2015.
OUA is scoring the sixth-most points per game (73.3) in the GAC, shooting an efficient 44.7 percent from the floor. The squad knocks down 9.1 three-pointers per contest, which ranks second in the league behind Southeastern. In two of the its last three games, the Tigers have put in 10 or more baskets from range. Defensively, the Tigers allow 72.9 ppg and record the sixth-most blocks per contest (3.0) in the league.
Their high-point man is senior guard Tylar Haynes, whose 14.7 points per game average is 10th in the GAC. He has reached double figures in every contest, including a high of 20 points (SAU - 12/9), while boasting the second-best field goal percentage (.604) in the conference. Haynes also leads Ouachita in rebounds (56) and steals (13). He is joined in double figures by Emorie Knox (12.6 ppg), Terran Williams (11.9 ppg), and Reggie Martin (11.4 ppg).
From range, the Tigers are shooting 36.0 percent, led by three-point marksman MJ Leslie. The junior guard has 22 triples, sixth-most in the conference.
SCOUTING HENDERSON STATE
Henderson State takes on Southern Nazarene before meeting the Bison on Saturday inside the Duke Wells Center. The Reddies are 3-6 thus far with a 2-2 GAC record.
Before the Holidays, the squad traveled out to Las Vegas for the High Desert Classic where they faced in-region opponents Central Oklahoma and Pittsburg State. They dropped both contests, 86-72 and 97-87, respectively.
They are led by ninth-year head coach Jimmy Elgas, who owns an overall record of 126-107 at Henderson and a 7-8 versus Oklahoma Baptist.
Leading the charge for the Reddies is senior guards Zyon Patterson and Malek Davis. Patterson heads the duo with a 13.2 ppg average while Davis trails at 13.1 ppg. Both are sharpshooters as Patterson boasts a field goal percentage of 47.7 percent while Davis has the most triples on the team (17). Additionally, the two are tied for the team-lead in steals (14). The two have stepped into significant roles to replace the voids left by 2023 All-GAC honorees, Frank Kamgain and Alvin Miles.
Also scoring in the double figures is redshirt junior Clarence King (12.6 ppg) and fifth-year big man Tomislav Miholjcic (11.4 ppg). Miholjcic, a native of Serbia, leads the team in total rebounds (65) and ranks second in boards per game in the GAC (7.2).
Defensively, the Reddies have the best field goal percentage in the league, limiting opponents to a 42.0 percent mark. Against GAC opponents, no team has shot 43.1 percent or better. Offensively, Henderson is the third-best scoring offense in the conference (77.7 ppg).
