PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Oklahoma Baptist saw its season come to an end Friday night, falling 98–80 to Gannon in a high-scoring matchup at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in the NCAA Division II Tournament's Final Four.
OBU closed its best-ever D2 campaign with a 31-4 record. That's the most wins in the D2 era and most since the 2011-12 squad produced 32.
The contest opened with strong back-and-forth action, featuring 10 lead changes in the first half alone. Gannon struck early from beyond the arc, while Oklahoma Baptist countered with transition scoring sparked by
Erik Madrid and
Christian Hodge. Despite the Bison's efforts, Gannon carried a 45–39 lead into halftime.
In the second stanza, Gannon pulled away with an efficient offensive surge, shooting 50 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range. Roughly four minutes into the second half, a Pace Prosser three pushed the Golden Knights to a 55-43 advantage.
The closest the Bison got after that was seven points, 60-53, when
Seth Grandberry swished through a mid-range jumper at the 13:26 mark.
Grandberry led the Bison with 22 points, knocking down four 3-pointers, while Hodge added 20 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for a double-double. Madrid was also a force inside, contributing 12 points and 14 rebounds. Guard
Terry Coner Jr. added 15 points and eight assists, a career-high.
Oklahoma Baptist finished with 54 bench points, showcasing its depth, but struggled from long range, shooting 22.7 percent from three. On the flip side, Gannon made 6-of-13 from downtown in the second half, a 46-percent clip.
Gannon was powered by Lucas Morgan's 28-point performance, complemented by Mackenzie Morgan's 20 points, including five triples. The Golden Knights also dominated the glass, outrebounding the Bison 55–41 and capitalizing on second-chance opportunities.
This season, three of four OBU's losses came when the opponent won the rebounding battle.
