PLAINVIEW, Texas (Jan. 20, 2011) – The Oklahoma Christian men's basketball team utilized a second half rally to come out on top in an overtime thriller on Thursday night as the Eagles downed Wayland Baptist University (Texas) 85-80.
During the first minutes of the game, the Eagles traded baskets back and forth with the Pioneers as the two teams vied for the early lead.
With 13:09 left till the half, the score was tied up at 10-10 before the Pioneers advanced on a 17-4 run to put the Eagles at a 13-point deficit with 9:10 still left to play.
Two minutes later, the Pioneers put up another run of 11-0 to jump to a massive 23-point advantage with just 5:02 showing on the clock. Minutes later, the Wayland Baptist men increased their lead to 24, the largest of the game, before the Eagles responded with a 9-2 run, including a last second three pointer from Chad Endres, to cut the margin to 17 just before halftime.
Into the second period, the Pioneers regained a 21-point advantage with 16:41 still left in regulation.
At that point, the Eagles put up a 12-1 run, with big plays from Devan White, to cut the Pioneer lead down to just 10 points with 13:01 left on the clock.
A minute later, the Eagles began another run of 10 points to none to make up the difference and tie the game at 60-60 with 9:13 still to play.
The game from that point on underwent four lead changes and four ties as a close battle unfolded for the win. With 1:29 showing on the clock, the Eagles trailed by three points until moment's later when Andre Vaughn connected on a shot from behind the arc to tie the game up at 71-71.
With either team unable to make a final score, the game headed into overtime. Still on a roll from the second half rally, the Eagles never trailed during the period as they took the first lead with a jump shot from White.
The Eagles pushed to a six-point lead on two occasions and held a five-point margin into the game's completion to capture the victory at 85-80.
White led the Eagle offense with 17 points overall, four rebounds, and six assists. Jeff Crocker, Will Reinke, and Vaughn all came away with 12-point games for the evening, while Reinke made six rebounds and two blocks.
Endres totaled eight points, five rebounds, and six assists for the evening, while Ross Morrisett added another seven points to the mix.
The win advances the Eagles to 12-6 for the season and carries them to a 6-5 conference record. The Eagles will join the women's team as they stay on the road to take on Lubbock Christian University (Texas) on Saturday. Tip-off for the women starts at 1 p.m. with the men scheduled to follow at 3 p.m.
-OC-
