SHAWNEE – JC Curry had some high-flying dunks while
Ethan Scott reached a new career-high point total during Oklahoma Baptist's 96-77 victory over Arlington Baptist on Thursday at the Noble Complex.
OBU improved to 2-1 with the win while ABU dropped to 1-2.
In the opening half, Scott matched his career-high with five made three-pointers before securing two more in the second stanza to finish 7-of-15 from downtown for 21 points.
The Bison set the tone in the first half, jumping to a 54-40 halftime lead. They would attain a lead as big as 18 points (39-21) after a
TJ Strong layup at the 7:52 mark. OBU also capitalized on their size advantage, grabbing 54 rebounds to Arlington's 35.
Nathan Wilson led the way with an impressive 16 boards, a career-high.
Guard play was also pivotal. Along with Scott, sophomore
Terry Coner Jr. contributed a strong 20 points, while Wilson and Strong added 13 and 12 points, respectively. Oklahoma Baptist was efficient in the paint too, tallying 44 points, while also benefiting from second-chance opportunities, scoring 29 points off their rebounds.
For Arlington Baptist, Isaiah Melvo and Ahmad Webster led with 13 points each, but the team struggled with consistency. Despite scoring 40 points in the paint, Arlington couldn't match Oklahoma Baptist's efficiency, shooting 42.6% from the field. Their bench provided 37 points, but the team faltered against the Bison's defensive pressure, committing 13 turnovers, leading to 11 points.
The game's tempo was controlled by the hosts, who executed well in transition and converted fast-break opportunities. Though Arlington Baptist made several scoring runs, especially in the second half, they couldn't close the gap. The largest lead for Oklahoma Baptist reached 19 points late in the game, sealing their second win of the season with a comfortable margin.
Next on the schedule for OBU is trip to Newman in Wichita, Kansas on Nov. 22 at 7 p.m.
