LAKELAND, Fla. – The 12th-ranked (NABC) Oklahoma Baptist men's basketball team erased a 17-point, second-half deficit and defeated last year's NCAA Division II runner-up Lander University, 59-56, on Sunday morning during the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic held at Florida Southern College.

OBU trailed 42-25 at the 17:55 mark after a Bearcats three. After that, the Bison began to chip away and by the 33-second mark, a Christian Hodge three-ball from the right wing pushed the green and gold ahead for good.

Key Leaders

• In just 15 minutes of action, Nick Bearden scored 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting and made a pair of three pointers.
• Austin Coner tallied 11 points and game-high six assists with no turnovers. His six dimes were one away from tying his career-high.
• Newcomer Devin Brown chipped in six points and a game-high 11 boards.
• The Bison bench outscored Lander's 29-13.

What Went Right

• Another comeback. OBU was down 15 yesterday to Cal State East Bay and was down as many as 17 versus Lander. In both instances, the Bison rallied. That's undoubtedly a positive sign about the mental makeup of this year's squad.
• Clutch shot. In the waning moments of Sunday's game, Coner fed Hodge who rose up and fired with the shot clock dwindling down and buried the three, moving OBU ahead 57-56.
• Getting a stop. Nursing a one-point lead with less than 30 seconds left, the Bison denied Lander's go-ahead attempt – a three-pointer from Navaughn Maise – and watched as Seth Grandberry got the defensive rebound.
• Game-changing run. Down 42-25, OBU ended the final 17:55 with a 34-14 run. Lander made just five of its 21 shots (23.8%) and committed six turnovers. On the flip side, the Bison made 13-of-27 (48.1%), including four 3-pointers, and had just one turnover.

What Went Wrong

• A sluggish start. Over the first 3:39, Lander built a 15-0 lead. Through two contests, that's been a common theme. Yesterday, Cal State East Bay held a 20-5 advantage.
• Three-point shooting. Maybe it's early season jitters, but through two games, the Bison are hitting just 28.9 percent from deep. On Sunday, they were 7-of-23 from range, a 30.4-percent clip.  

On the Horizon

• OBU hosts Texas A&M International and West Texas A&M on Nov. 13 and Nov. 14, respectively, at the Noble Complex. The Bison previously played the Dustdevils on Nov. 30, 2024 in Dallas and fell 68-64. As for the matchup against the Buffs, WTAMU has won four all-time D2 meetings over OBU, and all by double-digits. Most recently, the Bison fell 80-62 in Shawnee on Nov. 25, 2023.