OKLAHOMA CITY (March 13, 2014) – It was the question on almost everyone's mind inside the Eagles' Nest on Thursday night – just how many 3-pointers did Dallas Baptist (Texas) hit against Oklahoma Christian?
The final tally was 15, in 27 attempts, a sizzling 55.6 percent from behind the arc. All those threes allowed the Patriots to fend off every OC rally and beat the Eagles 87-75 in the National Christian College Athletic Association Central Region quarterfinals, ending OC's season.
It was the first time fourth-seeded DBU (14-13) had beaten fifth-seeded OC (10-17) in five meetings since the Eagles joined DBU in the Heartland Conference before the 2012-13 campaign. OC swept Patriots in two regular-season games this season.
DBU advanced to play top-seeded Southern Nazarene in Friday's semifinals, while the Eagles – who reached the NCCAA title game last season – were left to ponder a missed opportunity, with the regional tournament being played on their home court.
"I really appreciate these guys," OC coach Dan Hays said. "We don't like the way the season ended or how our record was, but these guys fought all year long. We've got a great group returning next year. If (injured center) Eric Randall would have been playing all year long, our record would have been flip-flopped. I really believe that. It's just a shame that Eric didn't get to play."
The Patriots led the game for the final 26½ minutes, but OC never allowed them to pull away despite DBU's hot shooting.
Dallas Baptist led 36-31 at halftime and pushed that advantage to 48-38 before Nick Tate capped a 14-5 run by OC that pulled the Eagles within 53-52 with 12:48 left. Jonathan Perry – who led DBU with 24 points and added nine rebounds and six assists – answered with a pair of free throws and a layup to again extend his team's lead and the margin reached 65-56 after a 3-pointer by Wesley Gipson with 9:26 left.
OC rallied again, coming within 68-64 on a layup by Kendre Talley with 6:14 left, but missed two opportunities to keep edging closer. Perry and Jason Gentry then hit 3-pointers for the Patriots to give them a 74-64 lead with 4:19 left.
The Eagles made one final push. A three-point play by John Moon started a 7-0 run and OC was within 74-71 after Moon's basket with 3:06 left. Perry hit another 3-pointer and the Patriots went 10-of-11 from the free-throw line in the final 1:50 to seal the win.
"They did a great job moving the ball," Hays said of the Patriots. "They had a nice plan and we just couldn't keep up with them. Now, if they miss half of those (3-pointers) that they made, we win the game. That's the way it goes."
Four Patriots – Myles Johnson, Gentry, Perry and Charles Allen – made at least three 3-pointers. Dallas Baptist actually had four more 3-point baskets than it did 2-point baskets and outrebounded OC 34-28.
Allen scored 18 points and Johnson had 17 points and seven assists for Dallas Baptist.
Talley and Harper scored 18 points each for OC, while Talley added five assists and five rebounds. He finished his career with 1,333, tying him with Danny Brown (1993-1997) for 24th place on OC's all-time scoring list. Talley exited the game with 12 seconds left and received a standing ovation from nearly everyone in the Eagles' Nest.
"That was a nice tribute to Kendre," Hays said. "Kendre is what Oklahoma Christian is about. He'll get his degree in a month, just like Eric Randall will get his degree in a month. That's what we're about – all our guys get their degrees. That is more important than basketball. Kendre is a servant off the court and on the court and he's (representative of) what our guys stand for. I'm so proud of him."
Harper finished 5-of-11 from 3-point range for the Eagles, and he and fellow junior Tate are poised to join OC's career 1,000-point club early next season.
"We've got a bright future, with new kids coming in and what we've got coming back," Hays said. "We look forward to what we can do next year."
