SHAWNEE – The Oklahoma Baptist Bison secured a crucial Great American Conference (GAC) victory on their home court, defeating 12th-ranked Southern Nazarene 81-71 in a hard-fought matchup at the Noble Complex. It was the Bison's first win over a ranked opponent since Feb. 6, 2020 when the team defeated then-18th ranked Southeastern Oklahoma State 64-63.
First Half
Southern Nazarene got out to a good start, leading 9-2 following two freebies from Tracy Godfrey Jr., at the 17:22 mark. However, the home team wearing their all-white uniforms would start to turn the corner after that.
Daniel Ransom provided eight-first half points while
Joshua Udoumoh chipped in with six as the Bison mounted a comeback. Nearly nine minutes passed and OBU went in front 22-21 when
Ricky Brown hit a jumper. That was a part of a 17-2 run in which the Bison built a 36-23 advantage after a Ransom three-ball.
By halftime, the Bison led 39-30. OBU got a big boost in the opening 20 minutes from its bench which outscored SNU's 156. Plus, the green and gold had an 83 second-chance points lead.
Second Half
Southern Nazarene came out aggressive in the second stanza, cutting the deficit to just three points (45-42) by the first media timeout. However, that would be the closest they got the rest of the way. The Bison built their lead to as many as 15 a couple times, including the last at 64-49 when Coner Jr. sank a long shot. The sophomore guard ended up scoring 18 second-half points to finish with a game-high 20. Plus,
JC Curry added 14 on 3-of-4 shooting from downtown while Ransom contributed 16 points and four steals.
Oklahoma Baptist shot an impressive 57.7 percent from the field in the second half, including key three-pointers from Curry and Ransom that helped seal the game. The Bison also out-rebounded Southern Nazarene 37-33, securing crucial boards in the closing minutes.
Looking Ahead
The win strengthens Oklahoma Baptist's position in the GAC standings as they look to build momentum for the postseason. On Saturday, the team will visit Northwestern Oklahoma State for a 3 p.m. matchup in Alva.
