SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist will face off with sixth-ranked (NABC) Dallas Baptist (6-1) and Texas A&M International (4-3) this coming weekend. The green and gold's game with the Patriots is Nov. 29 while their contest with the Dustdevils is a day later. Both games are slated for 5 p.m. tip-offs.
Most recently, OBU went on the road and defeated Newman University by an 87-70 count on Nov. 22. That boosted the team's record to 3-1. This is the team's best start through four games since the 2021-22 campaign.
The matchup with DBU is the first in the D2 era for the Bison. Previously, the last time the two schools met was during the 1989-90 season. As for the contest with TAMIU, it's the first-ever meeting.
Here are notes on all three schools heading into Thanksgiving.
Bison Notes
- Ethan Scott came off the bench and in 18 minutes of action, scored a game-high 21 points against Newman. That's now two straight games that Scott has reached 21, a career-high.
- Scott also hit six 3-pointers in the game at Newman. To date, he ranks third in the nation averaging 4.5 threes per game.
- JC Curry was flawless at the foul line vs. Newman, going 9-for-9. If you pair that with his 10-for-10 performance versus Minnesota Crookston, he's the first Bison player in the D2 era to go at least 9-of-9 at the foul line in two contests.
- Speaking of free throws, Terry Coner Jr. has hit 19-of-20 from the charity stripe this season. His 95 percent conversion rate is No. 23 in the country and third in the GAC.
- Furthermore, OBU has been solid as a team converting its freebies. They lead the GAC in attempts per game (24.8) and are second in makes per game (18.8).
- Nathan Wilson added another block against Newman, his ninth this season. That total is tops in the conference and 46th nationally. Plus, his 2.25 blocks per game ranks 19th in D2.
- On the rebounding front, Wilson, a 6-foot-8 native of New Zealand, has pulled down 9.3 boards per contest. That ranks second in the GAC and 31st in the country.
- As a team, OBU has done a good job rebounding the ball. Their margin of 6.8 is No. 43 in Division II while their total rebounds per game (40.5) ranks 49th out of 286 teams.
Patriots Notes
- Dallas Baptist has qualified for the NCAA Tournament in six of the last seven seasons.
- They moved recently from eighth to sixth in the National Association of Basketball Coaches rankings.
- DBU's most lethal threat as a team comes on the defensive end. They lead the nation in forced turnovers per game at 26.57.
- Trevor Frank and Ricky Lujan are each tied for 33rd in D2 with 15 steals apiece.
- Two weeks ago, Lujan was named the Lone Star Conference's Defensive Player of the Week.
- The Patriots are also an extremely balanced unit. They rank 38th nationally in scoring offense (87.1) and 50th in scoring defense (67.4).
- Fifth-year guard Cameron Kahn leads the LSC with 48 field-goal makes. That total is also 34th in the country.
- Also of note, Xavion Brown is No. 2 in the Lone Star in assists per game (5.3) while Kahn and Brown each rank top-10 in the LSC in points at 16.9 and 15.9, respectively, per game.
Dustdevils Notes
- After starting the year with a 1-3 record, Texas A&M International has won three consecutive contests.
- Most recently, TAMIU defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville 65-50.
- Like DBU, the Dustdevils' defense is very good. They rank fourth in the country allowing 60.1 points per game to opponents.
- They are also fabulous defenders of the three-point line. They allow 24.2 percent from deep, a mark that's sixth in D2.
- Offensively, TAMIU has had issues. Of 287 ranked teams, they rank 253rd in scoring (67.7). The Dustdevils also make 31.7 percent from downtown. That's slotted 203rd.
- Furthermore, TAMIU is ranked 202nd by converting 67.6 percent from the foul line.
- Two players lead the squad in scoring. Emaniel Alexandre and Anthony Ignowski average 11.2 and 10.1 points per game, respectively.
- On the defensive front, Duncan Alevok leads the Lone Star with 10 blocks.
