Drovers Fall in Final Seconds

CHICKASHA – It had worked all night for the Drovers. But in the final eight seconds of Monday night’s game Stan Bolden’s couldn’t get his jumper in the lane to fall and Southwestern Oklahoma escaped the USAO Fieldhouse with an 82-81 win.

After being down by as many as eight points in the first half, USAO rallied to take the lead and control in the second half. A couple of tough running one-handed jumpers by Othello Alford helped SWOSU whittle the Drovers’ six-point second-half lead to a 75-75 tie with 3:08 remaining.

Othello added another jumper and a 3-pointer to give the visitors an 81-77 lead with 1:57 left. USAO’s Thomas Woods answered with what looked to be a 3-pointer but was ruled a 2-pointer, which cut the lead to 81-79. After a Woods foul, SWOSU’s Reggie Gunn hit 1-of-2 free throws giving the Bulldogs an 82-79 lead.

Although USAO was nearly perfect at the free throw line on the night (23-of-28), Woods missed two free throws on the next possession that could have made it a one-point game. The Drover defense caused a much-needed turnover, and Woods got a tip-in off a missed Avery Stevenson attempt with 36 seconds left.

Down 82-81 with only six-tenths of a second difference between the game clock and the shot clock, head coach Brisco McPherson elected to play defense instead of foul. The gamble paid off as SWOSU’s Jose Garcia, who was 1-for-6, took an open, but questionable 3-point attempt with 15 seconds remaining.

The miss and Stevenson rebound allowed USAO to set up the final play for Bolden to drive to the basket. A missed shot by Bolden was a rare occurrence Monday night. The senior guard from New York finished with 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting including several big buckets.

Woods tied for game-high honors with 17 points. Stevenson was perfect on all eight free throw attempts finishing with 15 points. DeAngelo Alexander posted 15 points as well with six rebounds, two steals and an assist, and Delane Finley scored 14 points with seven rebounds.

USAO fell to 0-6 on the season as the team prepares for Saturday’s conference opener against undefeated Northwestern Oklahoma. If NWOSU beats Langston on Wednesday, it will be the seventh straight undefeated opponent USAO has played to start the season. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. for the women and 5 p.m. for the men.

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