CANYON, Texas (Dec. 19, 2019) – Playing at its preferred speed in the first half, Oklahoma Christian seized control against top-10 foe West Texas A&M on Thursday night, building a six-point lead and threatening the Buffaloes' long homecourt winning streak.

But West Texas A&M successfully sped up the Eagles with its pressing and trapping defense after halftime and eventually posted an 81-65 win over OC, the 33rd straight for the Buffaloes at the First United Bank Center.

OC (3-5, 2-2 Lone Star Conference) did a lot of things right. The Eagles outrebounded West Texas A&M 36-32 and led the game for more than 17 minutes. OC shot a healthy 48.9 percent from the field (23 of 47) and blocked seven shots, including three by Will Lienhard, raising his individual total to 14 in just five games played this season – the conference's highest per-game total.

The Eagles held West Texas A&M (11-1, 3-1) – ranked seventh in the National Association of Basketball Coaches' NCAA Division II poll and 10th in the Division II Sports Information Directors Association poll – to its second-lowest point total of the season. West Texas A&M had entered averaging 100.1 points per game.

But the Eagles – who led 32-26 at halftime – didn't maintain their poise against West Texas A&M's fierce defensive pressure in the second half and finished with 22 turnovers (compared to six for the Buffaloes). The Buffaloes outscored the Eagles 24-3 in points off those turnovers, which proved to be the difference.

"They sped us up and we didn't handle it like we should have," OC coach Kendre Talley said. "But I think we did get a little bit better from it. We have proven to be a great defensive team. We're showing improvement, little by little. We're getting better and better every game. Coming in here … we competed really well and I'm proud of them for leaving it all on the floor."

OC battled foul trouble amongst its inside players the entire game, with three of them – Lienhard, Dedrian Parmer Jr. and York Benjamin – all fouling out. The Eagles were called for 24 fouls, compared to 18 for West Texas A&M.

Even so, the Eagles controlled the pace of play in the first half with their deliberate offense, leaving the Buffaloes visibly frustrated. A 3-pointer by Marcus Blackwell in the final minute put OC ahead by six points.

West Texas A&M recorded a pair of traditional three-point plays by Derrick Geddis and Jordan Collins just eight seconds apart to tie the game at 31-31 with 18:55 left. Aubrey Johnson, who led OC with 20 points, hit a pair of 3-pointers to push the Eagles back ahead, the latter making it 37-34 with 17:26 left.

OC led 37-36 before an 8-0 run by the Buffaloes that took all of 22 seconds of game clock and included a 3-pointers, a steal, a flagrant foul against the Eagles and a put-back basket by Jon'il Fugett, which gave West Texas A&M a 44-37 advantage.

The Buffaloes kept OC at bay after that, gradually extending their lead to as many as 17 points but never really pulling away.

Parmer Jr. had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season, and his second in a row for the Eagles, while Anthony Johnson added 14 points and Blackwell had 10.

West Texas A&M's top player, Qua Grant, had 21 points and 12 rebounds, with Joel Murray added 16 points and Geddis scoring 15.

OC will finish its first-semester schedule on Saturday afternoon when the Eagles visit Eastern New Mexico. ENMU is the alma mater of Dan Hays, the longtime OC head coach who's back with the program this season as a special assistant to Talley. Hays, a NAIA All-America player at ENMU, is a member of the school's Hall of Honor.

Kendre Talley discusses the game: https://youtu.be/w_8Bl5oBEVw