Box Score DALLAS (Feb. 16, 2015) – Heartland Conference opponents who might expect Oklahoma Christian to be playing out the string this basketball season instead are running into a bunch of motivated Eagles.
On Monday night, for the second time in the last three games, OC pulled off a stunner on the road. The Texas trio of
Jordan Box (McKinney),
Elijah Strickland (Burkburnett) and
Jordan Rutherford (Houston) led the way as the Eagles jumped to an early double-digit lead and hung on for a 96-91 win over Dallas Baptist (Texas) at the Burg Center.
OC (5-17, 3-13 Heartland Conference) had scored just 80 or more points once all season before winning 104-71 at Oklahoma Panhandle State on Feb. 7. Now the Eagles have eclipsed the 90-point mark twice in nine days.
"What a wonderful game for our three guards," OC coach
Dan Hays said. "Those three guys were awesome and
John Moon … was awesome. They were locked in.
"It's just a big, big win. I'm just so happy for our kids and hopefully we can build on it. … I'm just really proud of our guys. Most teams would have quit by now but these guys aren't going to quit. They're just going to keep getting better."
Strickland scored a career-high 23 points, nailing 6-of-7 3-point attempts. Box scored 22 points, just one off his career high, and went 4-of-6 from 3-point range while dishing out a career-high nine assists. Rutherford also had a career high with 17 points and hit 3-of-6 3-point attempts.
"The shot feels good," Strickland said. "The coaches have put belief in me that I can shoot the ball. They found me a good spot and I knocked them down tonight.
"We started off slow this year. We really haven't had the opportunity to get going, but I think we're bonding with each other. I think we can compete in this conference."
All told, the Eagles went a season-best 13-of-21 from 3-point range – a sizzling 61.9 percent – and shot 56.7 percent from the field. OC's two other starters also reached double figures in scoring, as Moon had 18 points (along with three blocked shots) and forward
Eric Randall added 10.
The Eagles needed that firepower, as Dallas Baptist (14-10, 8-8) received monster scoring nights from Myles Johnson, who had 35 points on 11-of-19 shooting, and Franklin Uzonwanne, who finished with 20 points, 12 rebounds and three blocked shots. The Patriots lost despite shooting 51.6 percent from the field and 46.4 percent (13 of 28) from 3-point range.
"We gave up 91 points and it might have been one of the best defensive jobs we've done," Hays said. "Johnson was fantastic late. Those shots he was hitting late, we were all over him."
OC led by 13 points with 8:50 left and eight with 2:27 left but had to withstand a late rally by the Patriots, who desperately needed a win in their chase for a spot in the four-team Heartland postseason tournament. Johnson hit a pair of 3-pointers in the final 1:43. The latter, with 23.8 seconds left, pulled Dallas Baptist within 93-91.
Strickland made 1-of-2 free throws for OC with 17 seconds left. Dallas Baptist had a chance to tie, but a pass from Johnson to Jonathan Perry was high and left Perry off balance near the sideline. Perry tried to throw it back toward the middle of the court, but OC center
John Moon intercepted the pass and dribbled downcourt before being fouled with :02 left.
Moon made both free throws to seal the win for the Eagles. OC went 7-of-8 from the line in the final 72 seconds, with Randall going 4-for-4.
OC trailed 2-0 before the game started, thanks to a pre-game technical foul called on the Eagles, then quickly fell behind 7-0. Hays called a quick timeout to settle his players, and whatever he said, they listened.
With OC down 12-5, Box swished a 3-pointer with 17:45 left in the first half, starting what became a game-turning 24-2 run for the Eagles. Strickland capped the run with a 3-pointer that made it 29-14 with 12:33 left in the half and the Eagles never trailed again.
OC shot 63.6 percent from the field and led 51-45 at halftime. Three times the Patriots came within two points in the second half, but OC always had an answer.
"We've just got to keep playing like this," Strickland said. "We played really well and played together tonight. Coach told us to run the ball and just keep pushing and just move the ball. We got a lot of assists this game. We got a lot of people involved and we got a win tonight."
Jordan Pratt added 16 points for Dallas Baptist.
OC is now 19-7 all-time against Dallas Baptist, including a 5-2 mark since OC joined the Heartland with the 2012-13 season.
The Eagles will return home for their final two home games of the season – on Thursday against Rogers State and on Saturday against Arkansas-Fort Smith.
