Box Score AUSTIN, Texas (Feb. 26, 2015) – Oklahoma Christian's late-season surge hit a speed bump on Thursday night at St. Edward's (Texas).
The Eagles had won three of their last five basketball games – knocking off a pair of Heartland Conference contenders along the way – and started well against St. Edward's. But the Hilltoppers seized control with a 15-2 first-half run and never looked back while beating OC 80-61 at the Recreation and Convocation Center.
St. Edward's (20-7, 12-7 Heartland) is fighting for a spot in the NCAA Division II league's four-team postseason tournament and desperately needed a win over OC (6-19, 4-15). The Hilltoppers got it despite another strong performance by OC sophomore center
John Moon, who scored 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting and matched his career high with five blocked shots.
"We didn't play good," OC coach
Dan Hays said. "I didn't think we competed hard, for whatever reason. … We just were making silly turnovers. We weren't sound. We weren't solid. The difference was, we turned it over 18 times and they turned it over five times.
"It was just not a good effort. To be quite frank, we looked like a team that was ready to get the season over with. They looked like a team that was fighting for a spot in the playoffs. I don't really know why we played that way."
The Hilltoppers certainly were wary of OC, having survived against the Eagles in Oklahoma City in December, winning by two points on a tip-in that may or may not have been after the final horn sounded.
"I know Oklahoma Christian's record right now might be 6-19, but they were 3-2 in their last five," St. Edward's coach Andre Cook said. "This team was playing as well as anybody. We just have a ton of respect for
Dan Hays and what they do and this team and how they've played."
OC pounded the ball inside early and often to Moon and 6-foot-9 senior
Eric Randall and the result was positive. After a basket by Randall at the 13:23 mark of the first half, the Eagles led 12-10.
Ramir Burton and Aubrie King each hit a 3-pointer to start off the Hilltoppers' early run, which was capped by 3-pointers by King and Ethan Gilbert. The latter one put St. Edward's ahead 25-14 and the Hilltoppers led 37-27 at halftime.
St. Edward's pushed the margin to 56-34 on a basket by Burton – who led the Hilltoppers with 19 points – with 13:42 left. The Eagles cut that margin in half during the next 5½ minutes and pulled within 60-49 after Randall fed Moon for a layup with 9:18 left, but that was as close as OC came.
Randall scored 15 points and
Jordan Box added 14 points for OC, while
Jordan Rutherford matched his career high with nine rebounds. The Eagles shot a respectable 49 percent from the field (25 of 51).
"We're a young team," Hays said. "We played really well the last couple of weeks. Tonight was not a good night for us. We just didn't have any spring in our step and I'm kind of disappointed in the way we played."
Harley Nussman had 14 points and 11 rebounds for St. Edward's while Frankie Mgbolu added 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.
OC will close the season on Saturday afternoon at Texas-Permian Basin.
