Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 21, 2015) – After Eric Randall suffered a preseason knee injury that wiped out what would have been his senior basketball season in 2013-14, he didn't intend to return, but Oklahoma Christian coach Dan Hays convinced Randall to change his mind and apply for a sixth season of eligibility.

It's been a rough 2014-15 season for the Eagles, but moments like what happened Saturday afternoon have made his comeback worth it for Randall. On Senior Day in the Eagles' Nest, Randall nailed a 17-foot jumper with sixth-tenths of a second left, giving OC an 87-85 upset of Heartland Conference power Arkansas-Fort Smith.

"I'm going to keep this jersey on as long as I can," Randall said. "I'm just super-thankful for coach Hays and everyone in the athletic department that believed in me and gave me another chance. All glory to God for the abilities that he's given us and being healthy all this year.

"The training staff – I can't thank everyone enough for everything they've done to get me back on the court this year and give me an opportunity to end my career that way, instead of walking off like we did last year."

Randall posted his fifth career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and his fellow post player, John Moon, added 24 points and seven rebounds for OC (6-18, 4-14 Heartland), which has won three of its last five games and suddenly is making an impact in the conference race.

On Monday, the Eagles won at Dallas Baptist (Texas), severely injuring DBU's hopes for a berth in the conference's four-team postseason tournament. The Eagles likely ended any hopes Arkansas-Fort Smith (15-11, 11-7) had of winning the conference regular-season title, as the Lions now trail league-leading St. Mary's (Texas) by 1½ games with two games remaining.

"We played a good week," Hays said. "We could have beat Rogers (State) Thursday night, but they were just terrific down the stretch. It's been a struggle, but it has not been a struggle in practice. These guys have been great, on and off the floor. … We're finally comfortable with what we're doing. It's a credit to these guys for hanging in there, because not everybody could have."

Despite the differences in records, the Eagles' win over UAFS was no fluke. OC controlled the game throughout, leading for more than 36 minutes and never trailing by more than two points.

Moon put OC ahead with a layup 10 seconds into the game, senior guard Casey Covalt – making his third career start – followed with a 3-pointer in the opening minute and the Eagles led 12-6 after Randall hit a 3-pointer at the 17:06 mark.

With Jordan Rutherford (15 points on 4-of-6 3-point shooting) and Jordan Box (13 points on 3-of-4 3-point shooting) hitting from outside and Moon and Randall scoring inside, OC built its lead to as many as 12 points. Randall's basket with 2:24 left in the first half made it 48-36 before the Lions scored the final two baskets of the half to pull within 48-40.

UAFS scored the first three baskets of the second half to cut the gap to 48-46 and the Lions took the lead on four occasions in the second half. Alex Cooper, who scored 18 points and added nine assists, put Arkansas-Fort Smith up 68-66 with 8:25 left.

OC senior forward Josh Faurot, who entered the game averaging 1.3 points per game, then scored six straight points for the Eagles, knocking down a pair of midrange jumpers before hitting a layup with 6:10 left that gave his team a 72-68 lead.

A four-point play by Rutherford – who made a 3-pointer while being fouled by the Lions' DaVaunta Thomas – extended OC's lead to 83-75. The Eagles led 85-77 after Moon's basket with 2:42 left.

OC fell apart over the next 2½ minutes, with a couple of turnovers, a missed layup, three fouls and a missed front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity. The Lions took advantage and tied the game on Kenny Martin's put-back with 20.8 seconds left. Martin finished with 13 points and 15 rebounds.

Out of timeouts, the Eagles brought the ball down the floor. The ball ended up in Rutherford's hands, and he found Randall on the right wing. Randall rose and shot over Josh Harmon for the game-winner. The Lions tried a long inbounds pass, but Rutherford tipped the ball away and the buzzer sounded.

"Being a senior, I thought, hey, I'll put it up and try to get the best shot I could, and it went in," Randall said.

Hays said Arkansas-Fort Smith "could be the best team in the league, but we had the game, I thought, under control (until the final minute). … Eric made a great play. That's actually the third option on it. Jordan made the play back to him. It's great that his last shot in the Nest is a game-winner over one of the top teams in the league."

It was OC's second buzzer-beater in three home games against the Lions. Former OC standout Nick Tate hit a shot as time expired in overtime in 2013 to push the Eagles past Arkansas-Fort Smith and give OC its first Heartland Conference win since joining that league with the 2012-13 season.

Seth Youngblood led the Lions with 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while Harmon had 18 points and nine rebounds and Thomas scored 10 points.

OC will close its season with road games next week at St. Edward's (Texas) on Thursday and Texas-Permian Basin next Saturday.

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