Derek Johnson had eight first-half points, but OC struggled offensively during a 69-56 loss Thursday at Lubbock Christian.
LUBBOCK, Texas (Feb. 23, 2012) – Oklahoma Christian shot 31.7 percent from the field – its second-worst effort of the season – and never led en route to a 69-56 loss at Lubbock Christian (Texas) on Thursday night at the Rip Griffin Center.
OC (16-12, 10-11 Sooner Athletic Conference) had already secured a berth in the SAC tournament, thanks to a loss Wednesday by Oklahoma City University to St. Gregory's, but the Eagles now will need help to secure the fifth seed, as they're a game behind Lubbock Christian (15-13, 11-10) in the conference standings with one game left.
The Eagles will visit Wayland Baptist (Texas) on Saturday while the Chaparrals will host Northwestern Oklahoma State. USAO is tied with OC for sixth and will host Rogers State on Saturday. OC could be seeded as low as seventh, depending on the results of Saturday's games.
The Eagles did themselves no favors on Thursday. OC quickly fell behind Lubbock Christian 11-2 and never made a serious run at the Chaparrals. Lubbock Christian held a double-digit lead for the final 12:26 of the game.
Led by Tyler Kennedy, who scored 21 points and went 5-of-11 from 3-point range, the Chaparrals took control from the start thanks to their long-range shooting. Lubbock Christian made four of its first five 3-point attempts and went 6-of-13 in the half, while OC was 2-of-13 from behind the arc before halftime.
"When we shoot 25 percent (in the first half), there's no way our defense can carry us," OC coach Dan Hays said. "Our defense was fine in the first half. We just didn't make any shots. There just wasn't enough effort and energy and I'm not sure why. It wasn't a typical effort."
Derek Johnson fueled a 7-0 burst right before halftime by the Eagles with a 2-pointer and a 3-pointer, but Kennedy buried a 3-pointer seconds before the buzzer to put the Chaparrals up 28-18.
OC cut the gap to six points twice in the second half, the last time on two free throws by Nick Tate that made it 33-27 with 15:34 left, but Kennedy had two treys and eight points during a 12-4 run by the Chaparrals that pushed the lead to 45-31 at the 11:59 mark. The Eagles never seriously challenged again.
Despite a considerable height advantage, OC was outrebounded 41-29 by the Chaparrals. Willie Harper scored 12 points and Kendre Talley added 10 for the Eagles. Johnson and Devan White had eight points, while OC's leading scorer, Will Reinke, had six points on 3-of-11 shooting. The Eagles went 20-of-63 from the field and 7-of-27 from 3-point range (25.9 percent).
Douglas Williams had 10 points and 11 rebounds for Lubbock Christian. Anthony Brancato scored 18 points and Rashad Sample added 12 points and six assists as the Chaparrals shot 50 percent (26 of 52).
