ARKADELPHIA, Ark. – Oklahoma Baptist (6-5, 3-2 GAC) scored 51 second-half points to out-run Ouachita Baptist (3-7, 1-4 GAC) 87-72 and earn its third GAC victory on Thursday night inside Bill Vining Arena.
Trailing by nine at the break, the green and gold shot 48.5 percent from the floor while limiting the Tigers to a 29.4 percent field goal clip in the closing half.
LEADERS
Terry Coner Jr. and Nathan Wilson paced the Bison with 21 and 20 points, respectively. Both shot over 50.0 percent from the field, highlighted by Wilson's 70.0 percent (7-10) clip.
Coner Jr. charted his fourth 20-point outing of the year, while Wilson's total was a season-high. Wilson added five boards and shot 6-for-8 at the free throw line, also a season-best.
Daniel Ransom notched his second double-double of the season, pairing 13 points with 12 rebounds. He also dished out three assists.
Trevin Wade collected a season-high nine boards to go along with 12 points, his eighth-straight game in double figures. Wade also recorded a season-high in steals (3).
Ricky Brown chimed in 11 points, eight rebounds, and two assists, while Joshua Udoumoh scored six points.
FIRST HALF
Oklahoma Baptist came out on fire, netting five straight buckets without a miss to build a 12-7 lead through three minutes of action. Nearly half came from Coner Jr., who shot a perfect 2-for-2 from the field.
An Efe Sekeroglu layup pushed the Bison lead to seven, the largest of the half, before Ouachita roared back. The Tigers cut into their deficit and tied the game at 15-all following an 8-3 run that featured one OBU field goal.
The clubs traded leads until OUA got hot and built a 13-point advantage with four minutes remaining. Ouachita scored 23 points to OBU's nine during the sprint and shot 7-of-9 from three-point range.
Going into the break, the score read 45-36, Tigers. The home team shot 54.8 percent from the floor and 56.3 percent (9-16) from range. Oklahoma Baptist finished with a 48.3 percent mark and edged an 18-16 advantage in the painted area.
SECOND HALF
OBU trimmed the OUA lead down to two (47-45) after starting the half on a 9-2 run. Then the Bison tied the game at the 14:38 mark (51-51) but failed to jump the Tigers.
Ouachita held the advantage till Oklahoma Baptist broke through, courtesy of a Wilson layup to go up 66-64 with seven minutes remaining.
The opposition drew near a few times down the stretch, but the Bison held on to complete the come-from-behind victory.
NOTES
- OBU posted a 42-28 advantage in the painted area.
- Five Bison reached double figures for the fourth time this season.
- Tonight's win snaps a two-game skid.
- OBU led the rebound margin 44-31.
- The Bison tallied 17 fastbreak points and 20 second chance points.
NEXT UP
OBU will have a day of rest before taking on Henderson State on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.
