LAKELAND, FL – Austin Coner scored a career-high 23 points and #12 Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball nearly overcame a 15-point deficit, but ultimately fell to #8 Cal State East Bay, 69-67, on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic at Jenkins Field House on the campus of Florida Southern College.

The Bison (0-1) got off to a poor start on the offensive end, scoring just twice in the opening seven and a half minutes as the Pioneers (1-0) raced out to a 20-5 lead just before the under-12 media timeout in the first half. 

OBU would chip away at the deficit and eventually tied things up (28-28) on Seth Grandberry's three-pointer with 1:31 to play in the first half. A layup from Christian Hodge just before the buzzer cut a three-point deficit to just one (32-31) as the teams headed to the locker room at halftime.

Despite the slow start, the Bison ended up connecting on 46.2 (12-of-26) percent of their shots in the first half and outrebounded Cal State East Bay 22-14. 

The Pioneers controlled much of the second half as well, leading by double digits (60-50) with 5:21 on the clock. That's when the Bison would go on a 16-5 run over the next three-plus minutes to take the lead, on Coner's three-pointer with 1:36 left to play.

Cal State East Bay went ahead on the next possession when Jaayden Bush made a layup to make it 67-66. Oklahoma Baptist had a chance to retake the lead when JC Curry stepped to the line for a pair of free throws with 27 seconds remaining. 

Curry missed the first free throws but hit the second to pull even at 67-67. Bush hit the eventual game-winner for the Pioneers with three seconds on the clock, and OBU was unable to get a shot off in the closing seconds to give Cal State East Bay the victory.

Oklahoma Baptist shot 47.2 percent (25-of-53) from the floor, including 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from beyond the arc, and 64.7% (11-of-17) from the free-throw line. The Pioneers connected on 43.9 percent (25-of-57) shooting, 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from three, and 63.2 percent (12-of-19).

The Bison finished with 37 rebounds to Cal State East Bay's 32 and scored 26 points in the paint. Coner scored his 23 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from three and 8-of-11 from the charity stripe. Seth Grandberry added 12 points and five rebounds, while Erik Madrid had nine points and seven rebounds. 

Next up for the Bison is a showdown with last year's NCAA Division II runner-up in #7 Lander on Saturday, Nov. 8. That game is set to tip off at 10 a.m. from Jenkins Field House at the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame.