OC's Devan White scored 12 points in a 60-59 loss at No. 23 Southern Nazarene on Saturday.

BETHANY, Okla. (Feb. 18, 2012) – Oklahoma Christian freshman Nick Tate scored 15 points but missed a contested shot in the final moments, allowing No. 23 Southern Nazarene to escape with a 60-59 win over the Eagles on Saturday at the Sawyer Center.

The lead changed hands four times in the final 1:17. SNU's Jon West hit two free throws with 8.5 seconds left to give SNU the lead, after officials had whistled OC's Eric Randall for a foul as West drove the baseline and had his shot blocked.

OC called timeout at mid-court with 5.4 seconds remaining. Tate caught the inbound pass and drove the lane before shooting while drawing contact from West, who was defending on the play. Tate's shot went off the back of the rim and Will Reinke's desperation tip also bounced off.

The no-call incensed OC coach Dan Hays, who thought if West got two free throws at one end, Tate should have had two at the other.

"We played well," Hays said. "I just wish I was a (NCAA) Division I coach so the commissioner could fine me, because you don't end a game on a play like that. … Let the kids finish the game. That's really disheartening.

"Nick got a really nice shot at the end. It was just as contested as at the other end. … It was heart-wrenching, as hard and as good as our kids played, not getting the benefit of that. That's not how things should end. It's been happening all year and, frankly, I'm sick of it."

OC (16-11, 10-10 Sooner Athletic Conference) now has lost six games by a combined 12 points to five ranked teams and another that was receiving votes in the NAIA coaches' poll.

The Eagles started quickly and led 25-15 after a basket by Nick Tate with 6:10 left in the first half. A 3-pointer at the buzzer by Willie Harper gave OC a 33-25 halftime lead.

SNU (20-8, 13-7) opened the second half on a 13-2 run that started with a basket by Horace McGloster that shouldn't have counted, as he released the ball after the shot clock had expired, 37 seconds into the half. Officials allowed the basket to stand.

The Crimson Storm eventually built its lead to eight points on three occasions, the final time at 53-45 on a tip-in by Shane Callaghan with 8:10 left.

The Eagles then went on a 12-2 run, tying the game at 55-55 on a layup by Kendre Talley with 2:22 left and going ahead 57-55 on a tip-in by Reinke with 1:17 left.

A three-point play by Ryan Aaron with 1:01 left put SNU up 58-57, but a put-back by Reinke with 42.5 seconds left gave the Eagles the lead again.

Devan White scored 12 points for the Eagles, while Reinke had nine points, six rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots. OC shot just 50 percent from the free-throw line, going 7-of-14, but committed only seven turnovers, compared to 14 for the Crimson Storm.

Aaron scored 15 for SNU, while McGloster had 13, Tyrone Lyons had 12 and West had 10.

It was the final regular-season matchup as conference opponents for OC and SNU, who were charter members of the Sooner Athletic Conference in the late 1970s and played together in the Texoma Conference before that. SNU has been accepted into NCAA Division II and the Great American Conference, while OC is applying for NCAA Division II membership and will play in the Heartland Conference. It's likely OC and SNU will continue to play each other as nonconference opponents.