SHAWNEE – Oklahoma Baptist (9-10, 6-7 GAC) used 43 first-half points to aid a 79-66 triumph over Henderson State (6-12, 5-8 GAC) on Thursday night inside the Noble Complex. The victory is OBU's second straight and moves their overall mark to 9-10 with a GAC record of 6-7.
OBU scored 40 points in the opening period for the fourth time this season, a half highlighted by five triples and eight free throws. The Bison also reached the benchmark in the first stanza of its first meeting with HSU but eventually let the game slip away. Today, that was not the case.
The green and gold charted advantages in rebounds (43-37) and points in the paint (36-24) while forcing eight steals. Additionally, the OBU bench contributed 37 points.
LEADERS
Nathan Wilson paired 20 points and 10 rebounds to record his second double-double of the year. Wilson netted nine of his 11 attempts, a season-high, and sunk one triple.
Daniel Ransom scored a season-high 18 points on 55.6 percent shooting and knocked down 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also turned in a tie of his season-high in makes at the charity stripe (6). Ransom added six rebounds and a couple of assists.
Ricky Brown recorded 12 points and led the Bison with three triples. Brown was also a perfect 3-of-3 at the free-throw line and pulled down four rebounds.
Trevin Wade filled the stat sheet with 10 points, five steals, four rebounds, and three assists. It is the second straight game in which he has tallied at least five steals, moving his season mark to a team high of 31.
FIRST HALF
The Bison could not find the bottom of the basket early on, as Henderson State jumped out to a 13-2 lead two minutes into the game. HSU charted an 83.3 percent field goal mark and put in one triple.
On the other end, OBU fired 14.2 percent (1-7) from the floor, the lone basket scored by Wilson. Then, Wilson put the team on his back.
The junior forward would score eight straight points to cut OBU's deficit to three, 13-10. Henderson held the reins for a few more minutes until a Brown three-pointer gave Oklahoma Baptist its first lead (20-19) of the ball game.
The action sparked a 13-0 run, good for a 30-19 cushion. Ransom accounted for five points during the stretch.
The green and gold scored 16 points to HSU's eight the rest of the way and headed into intermission with a 43-27 lead.
Brown led the home team with 12 points, while Wilson recorded 11 points in the stanza.
SECOND HALF
The Bison's hot streak settled in the second half, but it was not enough for the Reddies to overcome despite outscoring OBU 39-36 and shooting better (40.7%) from the field.
Oklahoma Baptist never gave up the lead, going ahead by as much as 23 points six minutes into the period. That cushion would sustain until the final buzzer.
NEXT UP
Oklahoma Baptist hosts Ouachita Baptist on Saturday, Feb. 3, at 3:00 p.m. inside the Noble Complex.
