SHAWNEE – 15th-ranked (NABC) Oklahoma Baptist continued its strong Great American Conference run Friday night with a 70–60 victory over Arkansas–Monticello at the Noble Complex. The Bison leaned on efficiency in the paint and timely defensive stops to pull away late after a tightly contested first half.
OBU carried a slim 31–26 lead into the break, with the game featuring eight ties and nine lead changes overall. The visitors hung close behind balanced scoring early, but the Bison began to assert control inside as the game wore on, finishing with a 40–34 advantage in points in the paint and a plus-one edge on the glass.
Erik Madrid delivered a standout performance for Oklahoma Baptist, scoring a game- and career-high 19 points on an efficient 9-of-11 shooting while adding eight rebounds and three blocks.
Joshua Udoumoh provided a strong interior presence as well, finishing with 14 points and eight rebounds, including several key putbacks that helped the Bison stretch the lead in the second half.
Terry Coner Jr. chipped in 12 points and knocked down timely free throws down the stretch, while
Austin Coner and
Eishun Naito combined to facilitate the offense as OBU finished with 13 assists on 26 made field goals. The Bison shot 42.6 percent from the field and made 14 free throws, capitalizing on late opportunities to seal the win.
Arkansas–Monticello was led by Isaac Jackson and Ashton Price, who scored 17 points apiece, but the Weevils struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 3-of-18 from three-point range.
Oklahoma Baptist improved to 17–2 overall and 11–2 in GAC play, sitting one back of first place. The Bison return to action on Feb. 5 at Harding.
