Basketball Men Fall to OC at SAC Tourney

SHAWNEE – Without its best player, the USAO men’s basketball team held tough against No. 6 Oklahoma Christian, but came up short Thursday in a bid to extend the season. The eighth-seeded Drovers lost 85-76 to the top-seeded Eagles in the quarterfinals of the Sooner Athletic Conference Tournament.

Senior Wayne Gibson, who was USAO’s leading scorer and rebounder this season, did not play Thursday because of a groin injury. Gibson suffered the injury in the Drovers’ regular season finale win against Southern Nazarene. With the loss, USAO ends the season at 10-18 overall.

After opening the game with a 10-2 run, Oklahoma Christian never led by more than 11 points. USAO, meanwhile, couldn’t get any closer than five during the rest of the contest. The Drovers also weren’t able to stop the Eagles’ torrid shooting pace in the first half. Oklahoma Christian hit 70 percent from the field, and 6-of-9 from 3-point range.

USAO, meanwhile, connected on 39 percent from the field, but made 5-of-12 from beyond the arc to trail 42-38 at halftime. In the second half, Oklahoma Christian cooled off to 41 percent from the field, and USAO improved to 46 percent shooting. But, OC won the free throw battle, making 23-of-26 compared to 9-of-12 for USAO in the half.

Sophomore Avery Stevenson led four Drovers in double figures with 21 points and a game-high four steals. Senior Tony Jimmerson finished with 15 points on 6-of-9 shooting and six rebounds. Junior Wayne Walls, who started in place of Gibson, scored 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds. Junior Romeil Perkins added 10 points.

Senior Keith Miller finished with eight points, three rebounds, and a game-high seven assists. Others in the USAO scoring column included freshman Kevin Thames with five points, and freshmen Kawitton Benoit and Tyree Hankerson with two points each.

For the game, USAO hit 42 percent (28-of-66) from the field, 36 percent (8-of-22) from 3-point range, and 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line. The Drovers collected 34 rebounds, 14 assists, nine steals, and committed 14 turnovers.

Oklahoma Christian also had four in double figures, led by Keith Harris with 24. Jarred Merrill, the SAC Player of the Year, had 21 points and 15 rebounds, followed by Brady Page and Charles Baldwin with 10 points each.