Men’s Basketball
Drovers Still Dancing with Upset of SNU 

OKLAHOMA CITY – Led by a career-high 18 points from center Jorge Parra and another 18 points from senior guard Thomas Woods, the University of Science and Arts dismantled the conference tournament bracket with a 67-64 upset of No. 2 seed Southern Nazarene Thursday night at Oklahoma Christian. 

Parra, who has battled through losing his starting position and the loss of his father this season, had his best game as a Drover and helped keep the team’s national tournament hopes alive. The junior hit 7-of-8 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the free throw line and grabbed six rebounds in only 22 minutes of action. 

Parra and DeAngelo Alexander did a number on the Crimson Storm on the glass. Overall, USAO out-rebounded SNU 33-22, but Parra and Alexander dominated the offensive boards. Parra pulled down five offensive rebounds, and Alexander added four offensive boards to help the Drovers gain an 18-2 advantage in second chance points. 

USAO also took advantage of SNU miscues by outscoring the Storm 17-6 off turnovers. 

Woods and junior shooting guard Tim Nelson hit their season average and combined for 30 points, and Alexander finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds. With the win, USAO has now beaten 11 out of 12 conference teams. Fifth-seeded Northwestern Oklahoma is the only team to have swept USAO. 

The Drovers, though, hurt their chances of receiving an at-large bid to the national tournament by losing at least once to 11 of 12 conference teams. USAO only swept No. 8 seed OC. 

The Drovers improved to 12-4 on the season when holding their opponents to under 70 points, and USAO will move onto the semifinal round, where the team will meet Rogers State. RSU beat Oklahoma Baptist 71-67 Thursday night as top two seeds in the bottom half of the bracket lost coming off of first-round byes. 

The two teams split the season series with USAO winning in Chickasha 70-60. RSU fended off the Drovers in Claremore with an 84-79 overtime win. Nelson averaged 23 points in two games against the Hillcats. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday at Oklahoma Christian. 

The winner will meet either top-seed Oklahoma City or No. 4 seed Wayland Baptist at 7:30 p.m. Monday for the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament.

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