Box Score WICHITA FALLS, Texas (Dec. 4, 2015) – Midwestern State (Texas) wasted little time in showing the Oklahoma Christian Eagles on Friday night why it's a serious contender for the NCAA Division II basketball championship.
No. 3-ranked Midwestern State jumped to a 20-point lead during the first 10 minutes and cruised to a 99-66 win over OC at D.L. Ligon Coliseum in only the second meeting between the longtime foes since the 1993-94 season.
Bretson McNeal went 4-of-6 from 3-point range and led five Mustangs in double figures with 16 points. Two OC players,
John Moon and
Elijah Strickland – who is from nearby Burkburnett, Texas – also scored 16 points, but they were the only Eagles to reach double digits in scoring.
Moon's layup 15 seconds into the game provided OC (2-5) its only lead. Midwestern State (7-1) scored the next seven points and the Mustangs led 31-11 at the 10:29 mark of the first half after a 3-pointer by Sheldon Hagigal. Midwestern State led by as many as 26 points in the first half before settling for a 55-35 halftime lead.
The Mustangs gave OC no chance to rally, extending their advantage to 36 points during the first 6½ minutes of the second half. Their lead peaked at 38 points.
For Midwestern State, Khapri Alston and Jordan Stevens scored 13 points each while Hagigal had 12 and DeVaughn Jones had 11.
Daniel Eibel and
Cameron Peters scored eight each for the Eagles.
OC and Midwestern State have played each other on and off since the 1961-62 season, not long after the Eagles began competing as a four-year program. OC hadn't played in Wichita Falls since February 1984, during coach
Dan Hays' first season at the Eagles' helm.
OC won't play again until next Friday, when the Eagles will host Manhattan Christian (Kan.).
