SHAWNEE – A rough first half of shooting forced Oklahoma Baptist (10-13, 7-10 GAC) into a deficit too significant as the Bison suffered a 76-66 defeat at the hands of Southern Nazarene (11-11, 8-9 GAC) on Thursday night inside the Sawyer Center.
Trailing by 21 points at the break, OBU trimmed its deficit in the second period with 39 total points, while the opposition scored 28. The Bison came within two points three separate times but couldn't pass up SNU, who held onto their lead despite a drop in field-goal percentage.
Oklahoma Baptist shot 40.4 percent for the game and knocked down 39.1 percent (9-23) of its attempts from beyond the arc. After shooting 34.6 percent from the floor in the first half, the Bison improved its firing rate to 45.2 percent in the final 20 minutes.
Conversely, SNU finished with a 44.6 percent field-goal percentage while holding advantages in rebounds (37-27) and points in the paint (34-22).
LEADERS
Ricky Brown scored 22 points for the third time this season. Brown netted a game-high six three-pointers, the most makes by the guard since the season opener. He shot 7-of-15 from the field and sunk 50.0 percent (6-12) from range.
Terry Coner Jr. chimed in 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Trevin Wade and Daniel Ransom charted eight points, respectively. The duo brought down four rebounds apiece, while Wade registered six assists. Additionally, Ransom posted a 6-for-7 showing at the charity stripe.
FIRST HALF
Southern Nazarene started the game on an 11-0 run before a triple from Brown took the lid off the basket for OBU. SNU's commanding lead remained after that, reaching 23 points with a little over a minute left.
The first-half success granted the Crimson Storm a 48-27 lead going into halftime.
SECOND HALF
SNU kept the Bison at arm's length at the beginning of the second period, but midway through, OBU woke up.
With 7:55 on the clock and trailing by 11 (64-53), a Joshua Udoumoh layup sparked a 9-2 run and brought Oklahoma Baptist within striking distance, 64-62.
Still, SNU didn't waver despite the Bison drawing within two points a couple more times. By the game's end, Southern Nazarene stretched its lead back to 10 points.
NEXT UP
Oklahoma Baptist looks to snap its three-game skid as it returns home to Shawnee on Saturday for a 7:30 p.m. contest against Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Bison defeated the Rangers 87-74 earlier this season.
