Will Reinke had 23 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots in OC's 66-62 win over Oklahoma City University.
OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 31, 2011) – Will Reinke had 23 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots and Eric Randall added 13 points, leading Oklahoma Christian to a grind-it-out 66-62 win over Oklahoma City University on Saturday on Dan Hays Court in the Eagles' Nest.
OC (9-3, 3-2 Sooner Athletic Conference) led most of the way – but never by more than 11 points – in snapping a four-game on-the-court losing streak against OCU (6-3, 3-2). OC's last win over the Stars before Saturday came on Feb. 28, 2009.
"It was a grind," Oklahoma Christian coach Dan Hays said. "Neither team had a real good field-goal percentage, but I thought we had good shot selection. We hit a lot of pressure free throws. It's just always good to win."
The inside duo of Reinke and Randall proved key, particularly after the Stars rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to take a 36-35 lead on a basket by Charlton Jones with 13:10 left.
Reinke tied the game with a free throw, starting an 11-0 run by the Eagles, during which Randall had a basket. Reinke's two free throws with 9:10 left put OC ahead 46-36 and the Eagles never trailed again.
OCU twice pulled within four points, but each time, Reinke made a pair of free throws. He finished 11-of-12 from the line. His final two free throws put OC ahead 65-56 in the final minute, helping offset a fantastic final minute by Jones, who canned three 3-pointers in the final 48 seconds.
"Our post guys played really good defense," Hays said, noting OCU's starting center, Tim Morton, scored only two points on 1-of-4 shooting. "Morton is a good player. That's really encouraging on that."
Randall finished 5-of-8 from the field – including 2-of-3 from 3-point range – and added seven rebounds. Devan White just missed a double-double, finishing with nine points, nine rebounds and four assists. OC outrebounded the Stars 44-35.
Jones finished with 22 points for the Stars, making four of five shots from behind the arc, but he was the only OCU player in double figures in scoring. Orlan Jackman had nine points and 12 rebounds for the Stars, who shot 32.8 percent (21 of 64) from the field. OC finished 17 of 43 from the field (39.5 percent).
OC will visit Mid-America Christian on Monday night before returning home for a Thursday game against Southern Nazarene.
"We're still a work in progress, but we're going to get there," Hays said.
