OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 7, 2015) – Oklahoma Christian took care of business in the first half and wasn't threatened after that while rolling to an 84-65 win over NAIA foe Central Christian (Kan.) on Saturday afternoon in the Eagles' Nest.
The annual OC homecoming game was an exhibition this year, as NCAA Division II basketball teams cannot open their seasons until Nov. 13. The Eagles will do just that on Friday, hosting Texas A&M-Commerce in their regular-season debut.
Against Central Christian, OC looked ready to begin the season. Junior center
John Moon was his usual dominant self, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds in 25 minutes of work. New starting forward
Chiza Ntirata also was a force with six points, six rebounds and three blocked shots.
Sophomore guard
Deric Shelton – who missed the entire 2014-15 season due to injury – was sharp, hitting 5-of-8 shots while scoring 14 points and adding three assists. Another sophomore guard,
Zach Norris – who received a medical redshirt after being limited to four games last season – had team highs in assists (six) and steals (four).
As a team, the Eagles shot an impressive 50.8 percent from the field (31 of 61) and 88.2 percent from the free-throw line (15 of 17).
The Tigers led only twice, both in the game's first three minutes, before
Elijah Strickland gave OC the lead for good at 9-7 with a 3-pointer. OC used a 15-0 run, capped by a 3-pointer by freshman
Geoffery Hightower, to build its lead to 26-10 with 9:03 left in the first half.
Central Christian scored the next three points before the Eagles reeled off a 13-1 run to extend their lead to 39-14 at the 5:13 mark. OC led 43-18 at halftime.
OC's lead grew to as many as 37 points, on a jumper by Moon with 10:45 left that made it 74-37. The Tigers gradually rallied after that but came no closer than the final margin of 19 points.
Jerome Jackson came off the bench to lead Central Christian with 13 points, while Kendric Warren added 12 points for the Tigers.
