Box score
OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 17, 2009) – Jason Taylor reached the 30-point mark for the third-straight game as Oklahoma Christian beat Science and Arts of Oklahoma 66-58 on Saturday night at the Eagles' Nest.
Taylor finished with a game-high 30 points and 17 rebounds. The 17 rebounds set a new career high, while the double-double was Taylor's seventh of the year.
The 6-7 postman from Edmond, Okla., is averaging 28.2 points per game in the Eagles' past five contests. He had 30 points at Southern Nazarene (Okla.) on Thursday night and a career-best 34 points vs. Mid-America Christian (Okla.) on Jan. 10 as OC won both games.
The three-straight 30-point performances are the first at OC since two-time NAIA All-American Jay Mauck tallied point totals of 36, 36 and 38 points in consecutive games during the 1997-98 season.
The win on Saturday – OC's third straight – improved the Eagles to 13-4 and 6-3 in Sooner Athletic Conference play. The Eagles now head to Texas for games against Wayland Baptist (Texas) (Jan. 22) and Lubbock Christian (Texas) (Jan. 24).
OC and USAO (7-8, 4-5 SAC) went back and forth in the early going before USAO grabbed the lead (14-12) on a Jamaal McCoy trey with 14:21 to play.
The Drovers held on until the 4:12 mark when Kyle Tefft scored on a backdoor pass from Jeff Crocker to tie it at 26-26. Then with 2:19 left, Crocker hit from downtown to put the Eagles up three.
The scores were part of an 8-0 half-closing run – that coincided with six-plus minutes of no Drover points – and left the Eagles ahead 30-26 at intermission.
OC shot 47 percent (10-21) in the first half and was led by Crocker's 11 and Tefft's 10 first-half points.
The Eagles controlled the first part of the second half and led by as many as nine points (45-36).
USAO wouldn't go away though, and when Tim Nelson hit a three pointer on the wing with 9:49 to play the Drovers were within one at 45-44. Moments later, Rashaad Singleton gave the Drovers a 46-45 lead with a runner in the lane.
Then OC took it right back when David Jackson chimed in from long range, making the score 48-46 with 8:23 left. A brief tie came next off a Singleton score before the Eagles took over for good.
The Drovers tried to make it interesting with another Nelson bomb at the 1:10 mark that made it a one-possession game at 59-56. But the Eagles executed their offense to perfection and Crocker rattled in a wide-open trey at the top of the key with 48 seconds remaining to ice it.
Crocker had a productive game for the Eagles with 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting. The Sugar Land, Texas, product also had four rebounds and four assists. Tefft finished with 12 points and three steals.
Singleton paced USAO with 16 points and eight rebounds.
-OC-
