Box score

OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 10, 2009) – Jason Taylor posted a double-double, scored a career-high 34 points and surpassed 1,000 career points all in the same game in No. 11 Oklahoma Christian's 78-53 win over Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Saturday night. 

Taylor became just the 34th player in OC history to score 1,000 points with a layup late in the first half. The junior – who came in averaging 21.4 ppg – had 25 points in the second half alone and added 13 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. Taylor now has 1,025 career points in an Eagle uniform.

Saturday's game was a nail-biter for much of the night, especially after MACU (1-13, 0-7) took a 43-42 lead early in the second half. But the Eagles outscored the Evangels 36-8 from there to improve to 4-3 in Sooner Athletic Conference play and 11-4 overall. OC also stopped a three-game losing skid with the victory.

OC made its first three tries from downtown to take an 11-2 lead by the 17:20 mark of the opening half. Later, the Eagles took a 12-point lead (19-7) when Jon Jonsson buried a trey on the wing off a pass from Taylor with 13:11 to play.

Jeff Crocker hit a long two to make it 23-12 with 11:25 to play before OC went nearly five minutes without a bucket. MACU made it a 23-18 game when Tyron Goldsmith scored a putback with 6:53 left.

The Evangels pulled even closer when Charlie Shorter hit a three at the three-minute mark to make the OC lead 28-25. Shorter then hit another bomb to lock it at 28-28 with two minutes to play.

But the Eagles scored the final six points of the half for a 34-28 halftime cushion. Taylor scored off the glass with 18 seconds to play for his 1,000th point.

OC went up 42-35 on another Taylor layup at the 16:46 mark of the second half. Then MACU fired back eight unanswered points to take their first lead of the game (43-42) when Brandon Williams scored with 14:57 on the clock.

But the Eagles answered with the big scoring run to take control for good. Taylor had 19 in the final 14 minutes, while Crocker and Tefft each had seven in the explosion.

Taylor finished the game an ultra-efficient 14-of-16 from the field. He added four assists and a steal on his banner night.

Crocker posted 18 points and eight assists on 5-of-7 shooting. Tefft added 13 points and four steals. MACU was led by Shorter's 20 points.
The Eagles are off until they travel to Southern Nazarene (Okla.) on Jan. 15. Game time is set for 8 p.m. in Bethany.

-OC-