OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 15, 2014) – Oklahoma Christian, coach Dan Hays said, played perhaps its best 80 minutes of basketball this season this past week. But the Eagles just can't seem to catch a break.
OC led Arkansas-Fort Smith with 2½ minutes left, but UAFS closed on a 9-1 run to beat the Eagles 74-68 on Saturday afternoon in the Eagles' Nest.
OC (7-16, 3-12 Heartland Conference) suffered its second straight difficult home loss – having dropped a three-point decision to third-place Rogers State on Thursday – while Arkansas-Fort Smith (18-5, 11-4) moved into a tie for first place in the conference standings.
"We played well," Hays said. "We're close. I know people are tired of hearing me say that, but it's true. There is no quit in these guys."
OC freshman John Moon dominated inside with 21 points and seven rebounds, but the Eagles went 6-of-18 from 3-point range while UAFS was 10-of-26 from behind the arc.
The Eagles led 67-65 after Moon hit 1-of-2 free throws with 2:35 left. But OC didn't score again until Nick Tate also went 1-of-2 from the line with eight seconds left. In between, the Eagles missed four shots while UAFS eased ahead.
Xavier McClish put the Lions up 68-67 with a 3-pointer with 2:18 left. Seth Youngblood and McClish combined to go 6-of-6 from the line after that for UAFS. Youngblood led the Lions with 17 points while McClish and Jake Toupal had 14 points each for the Lions.
UAFS also outrebounded OC 37-24 and hit 22-of-26 free throws (84.6 percent), compared to 14-of-20 (70 percent) for OC.
Kendre Talley had 15 points for OC while Tate had 10.
OC trailed by as many as seven points early before forging a 36-36 halftime tie on a 3-pointer by Jordan Rutherford in the final seconds. The Eagles' biggest lead came at 64-56 after a jumper by Tate with 5:46 left, but OC managed only one other basket, a layup by Talley with 3:01 left.
The Eagles honored Talley and the injured Eric Randall on Senior Day. OC does have one regular-season home game remaining, on Thursday against Dallas Baptist (Texas), and the Eagles also will host the upcoming National Christian College Athletic Association Central Region tournament.
