Box Score OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 3, 2018) – Rogers State long has been a thorn in the side of Oklahoma Christian's men's basketball program, as the Hillcats always have seemed to find a way to steal close win after close win from the Eagles' clutches.
But on Saturday afternoon, OC left no doubt, leading for more than 38 minutes and pulling away at the end for a decisive 77-61 win over the Hillcats in the Eagles' Nest.
The win snapped the Eagles' eight-game losing streak to Rogers State that started after OC stunned the Hillcats in the quarterfinals of the 2012 Sooner Athletic Conference tournament on the way to the title.
"We played Eagle ball today," OC coach
Cory Cole said. "Our poise and chemistry were showcased. Our depth and toughness were big for us again. Our goal was playing 40 minutes and being aggressive the entire time. It's a simple goal, but one we have struggled with at times. Our guys were locked in and focused and that is what it takes to finish strong in this conference."
Two veterans led the way for OC (8-13, 4-6 Heartland Conference), as junior guard
Jordan Box had 27 points and five rebounds – hitting 6 of 11 3-point attempts – and senior forward
Abel Rodriguez scored a career-high 16 points, reaching double figures for the first time in his two seasons with the Eagles, and added eight rebounds.
Forward
Roderick Smith added 13 points and eight rebounds for OC.
"I'm proud to see Abel step up and he had a huge impact on both ends. His energy was contagious to all the guys," Cole said. "Jordan continues to step up. I have challenged him to do that each game and he carried us offensively once again. He can make tough shots. When he gets it going, he's a huge weapon for us. Rod bounced back big, rebounded tough for us and made a couple of spark plays that only he can make."
Rogers State (14-8, 5-5) shot just 24 percent (6 of 25) from 3-point range while OC was 12 of 27 for 44.4 percent. Four Hillcats scored in double figures, but none had more than 13 points. That was Chase Littlejohn, who also had seven rebounds, and Saint Hilare had 12 points and nine rebounds.
Box's first 3-pointer, just 63 seconds into the game, broke a scoreless tie. Rogers State's only lead came at 4-3 with 17:05 left in the first half.
Larry Kuimi scored 43 seconds later for OC and the Eagles never were caught.
Rodriguez and
Conner Johnson both hit 3-pointers during a 10-0 run that gave OC an 18-7 lead. The Eagles led by as many as 14 in the first half and 38-28 at halftime after Johnson's half-court buzzer-beater.
Rogers State pulled within four points twice in the second half, the latter time at 46-42 on a layup by Hilare with 14:14 left. Smith answered with a jumper and Box hit a 3-pointer with 12:44 left to rebuild OC's lead to nine.
The Hillcats were within 62-54 after a 3-pointer by Littlejohn with 4:41 left, but OC closed on a 15-7 run, going 7 of 8 from the free-throw line during that stretch.
OC won despite the absence of starting center
Will Lienhard due to injury. Point guard
Charles Shaw started but was limited to nine minutes by illness.
Elijah Strickland, the Eagles' leading scorer, took over point guard duties and had six assists to go with eight points and six rebounds for the Eagles.
"Elijah was a quarterback again," Cole said. "He's had to play the point since Charles is still battling illness. He led us with six assists and made some huge plays all night on each end. He's the glue that keeps us together."
The Eagles will have a pair of important home games next week, hosting Texas A&M International on Thursday and St. Mary's (Texas) on Saturday as they battle for position in the Heartland standings with those squads.
Highlights, courtesy of Eagle Media:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaM_4v95HeY&feature=youtu.be
