OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. (Jan. 29, 2011) – The Oklahoma Christian men's basketball team held off a persistent John Brown University (Ark.) men's team on Saturday night as the Eagles captured a 72-69 victory in the Nest.
An intense game unfolded in the Nest right from the start as the John Brown men tossed in a two-pointer before the Eagles' Andre Vaughn quickly responded with a three to take a one-point lead for the Eagles as OC headed on a 10-0 run to take an eight-point lead just three minutes in.
Through several exchanges of baskets, the JBU Golden Eagles didn't roll over easily as they quickly cut a nine-point Eagle lead to five with 13:25 left on the clock.
The Eagles took little time to recuperate a prominent lead as Izea Lovejoy, Will Reinke, and Vaughn netted baskets to put OC ahead by 11 with 10:41 still to play.
With 8:47 showing, the Golden Eagles put forth a 7-0 run to close the Eagle gap to just two points with 5:53 till the half. OC retaliated and bumped their lead right back to nine points before JBU added another run, this time at 10-0, to take a one-point lead with just 51 seconds left to play.
A last-minute foul on Brandon Trout turned into two free throws and a one-point advantage for the Eagles at 35-34 heading into halftime.
As the second period started, the two teams found themselves well matched as three ties and six lead changes ensued during the first nine minutes of play.
After plenty of back-and-forth scoring from the two squads, Kendre Talley drove up the lane and scored for the Eagles to take them back into the lead for good after trailing by a point moments before.
Devan White followed Talley with a trey to give the Eagles a four-point advantage with 10:25 left in the remainder of the half.
After a basket from JBU, Talley found his rhythm shortly thereafter as he pushed the Eagles to a seven-point lead with two back-to-back baskets, including an and one.
Despite responses from the Golden Eagles, Talley continued to pace the Eagles through the final minutes as he drew foul after foul and netted 10-for-11 from the free throw line.
With 1:38 remaining on the clock, the Eagles held an eight-point advantage, but multiple last-effort shots fell for JBU, including a three-pointer turned into a four-point play with a foul, closing the gap to just a single point with 10 seconds left in regulation.
In spite of such, Talley continued to come through for the Eagles as he drained both free throws on a final effort foul from John Brown to put OC ahead by three with seven seconds left on the clock.
Unable to score a final shot, the JBU men fell victim to the Eagles, as OC left the court with a 72-69 victory showing on the scoreboard.
Talley led the Eagles for the evening with 16 points total, all coming from the second half. Vaughn followed close behind with a 15-point total for the game while Reinke was next for the Eagles with 14 points and nine rebounds.
The earned victory puts the Eagles at 14-7 for the season with an 8-6 conference record. The OC men will join the women's team as they head across town for their next matchup on Thursday against Mid-America Christian University (Okla.). Women's tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. with the men's to follow at 8 p.m.
-OC-
