Box Score SAN ANTONIO (Jan. 13, 2018) – It would have gone down as a rally for the ages for Oklahoma Christian, but Robbie Benavides saved the day for St. Mary's (Texas).
Down 10 points with 1:50 left, OC came back and tied the game, but Benavides hit a 3-pointer from the corner in the final second to give the Rattlers a 70-67 win on Saturday night at Bill Greehey Arena.
OC (6-10, 2-3 Heartland Conference) thus was denied a chance at a sweep of its two league road basketball games this week. The Eagles won 62-60 at Texas A&M International on Thursday thanks to two free throws by
Roderick Smith with 2.1 seconds left.
Smith very nearly was the hero again against St. Mary's (7-9, 3-2). The junior forward poured in 30 points to go with nine rebounds and four steals, and his steal and dunk with 27.2 seconds left tied the game at 67-67. St. Mary's coach Jim Zeleznak opted not to call timeout and the Rattlers ran the clock down before finding Benavides open in the corner.
OC had time only for a three-quarter-court heave at the buzzer that fell well short.
St. Mary's had led 67-57 after a 3-pointer by Benavides with 1:50 left, but two 3-pointers and two free throws by
Jordan Box – who had scored only four points before that stretch – pulled OC within two, before Smith's dunk tied the game.
St. Mary's led 27-26 at halftime and the lead swapped hands eight times during the second half. A steal and layup by Smith with 10 minutes left gave OC its last lead at 43-42, but the Rattlers seized control with a 14-3 run. Two free throws by Benavides – who scored 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and made all five of his shots and both his free throws – put St. Mary's ahead 56-46 with 5:39 left.
Smith hit the 30-point mark for the second time this season, as he had 33 in a win over Missouri-St. Louis on Dec. 18. Box and
Elijah Strickland both scored 12 points for the Eagles, while
Will Lienhard had nine rebounds and three blocked shots to anchor OC's defense.
In addition to Benavides, a second St. Mary's player also had a double-double – Petar Radojicic, who had 17 points and 12 rebounds. The Rattlers outrebounded OC 43-31.
OC will return home to host league-leading Dallas Baptist (Texas) on Thursday before visiting Lubbock Christian (Texas) on Saturday.
