OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 12, 2019) –
Aubrey Johnson hit a 3-pointer for Oklahoma Christian in the first minute on Thursday night against Central Oklahoma, but for the remaining 39 minutes, the Eagles struggled to score from outside the arc, or anywhere else, for that matter.
OC finished 2 of 20 from 3-point range and shot 28.3 percent (13 of 46) overall and the result was predictable – the Eagles fell 63-44 to local rival Central Oklahoma in the season opener (and OC coach
Kendre Talley's debut) in the Eagles' Nest.
"I feel like we prepared well," Talley said. "We knew what was coming. We held them to 23 points in the first half, but we've got to put the ball in the hole to have a chance to win. Our guys know that. All we can do is go back to the drawing board and just continue to get better. But we've got to have some guys step up and hit some shots."
Dedrian Parmer Jr. hit 5 of 7 shots and scored 18 points for OC (0-1), while center
York Benjamin added 10 points, but they were the only two Eagles to reach double figures in scoring.
"All of our threes, most of them were wide-open, good shots, shots that I know our guys can hit," Talley said. "I was happy about us getting those open shots and running our stuff, but you've just got to knock them down."
UCO outrebounded the Eagles 39-26, taking advantage of the absence of OC center
Will Lienhard, who led NCAA Division II in rebounding last season. As part of receiving an extra season of eligibility from the NCAA, Lienhard had to sit out the season opener, as he had appeared in one game as a freshman for Oklahoma State in the 2015-16 season.
The Bronchos – coached this season by former Oklahoma Baptist and Mercer head coach Bob Hoffman – had a balanced attack, led by Justin Nimmer's 15 points. Dashawn McDowell had 12 points and Dashon Bell added 11 for UCO (1-2), which shot 44 percent from the field (22 of 50).
OC's defense kept the Eagles close for awhile. They led 10-9 after a basket by Parmer at the 12:40 mark of the first half, but that was their last field goal for more than 10 minutes. Still, when
Johnatan Reyes-Valdez hit the back end of a two-shot free-throw opportunity in the final seconds of the first half, it pulled the Eagles within 23-21.
The Bronchos opened the second half on a 14-2 run to build a 37-23 lead and led 44-29 with 11:53 left after two free throws by Alex Ogunseye. The closest OC came after that was at 47-39 on two free throws by Benjamin with 7:03 left and UCO closed the game on a 12-2 spurt to make the final margin seem more lopsided than the game really was.
OC will visit Northeastern State on Saturday night at 8 p.m. for the first meeting between the in-state rivals since the 1993-94 season.
"They've got a really good ball club," Talley said. "We've got to have short-term memory. We got in the locker room and talked about (the loss) and I told them once you leave this locker room, it's over with and we've got to focus on what's next for us, and that's Northeastern on Saturday."
Kendre Talley discusses the game:
https://youtu.be/lIbE32jz2t4
