ADA -- Oklahoma Baptist edged East Central 72-66 in a fiercely contested Great American Conference battle on Saturday at the Kerr Activities Center in Ada. Behind a commanding performance by
Terry Coner Jr., the Bison rallied in the second half to seal the win, improving to 4-0 in conference play.
The game remained tight throughout, with eight ties and seven lead changes. East Central opened strong, taking a 32-29 lead into halftime behind a balanced scoring effort led by Bishop Jones, who finished with 22 points, and a stellar rebounding game from Godsgift Ezedinma, who pulled down 10 boards.
Coner Jr. carried the scoring load, pouring in a game-high 28 points on 10-of-21 shooting, including clutch baskets down the stretch.
Nathan Wilson added 10 points and eight rebounds, while
Efe Sekeroglu provided a spark off the bench with 10 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting night.
The second half saw Oklahoma Baptist outscore East Central 43-34, buoyed by improved ball movement and key defensive stops. The Bison capitalized on their opportunities in the paint, scoring 36 points inside compared to East Central's 30, and held a significant 42-31 rebounding advantage.
Foul trouble plagued both teams late in the game, but Oklahoma Baptist's free-throw shooting proved decisive. The Bison went 21-for-29 from the line, compared to East Central's 13-for-22. Coner Jr.,
Daniel Ransom,
Ethan Scott and
JC Curry all made important free throws in the second half and helped seal the the Bison's six-point win.
Despite East Central's late push, including a key three-pointer by Mark Rucha to cut the deficit to four with under two minutes remaining, the Tigers struggled to contain Coner Jr. and Oklahoma Baptist's inside presence.
The victory maintained OBU's position atop the GAC standings, with only Southern Nazarene as the only other unbeaten.
OBU's last game of 2024 comes on Dec. 19 when it travels to Southwestern Oklahoma State in Weatherford for a 7:30 p.m. tip.
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