OKLAHOMA CITY (Jan. 25, 2020) – Oklahoma Christian's defense almost always keeps the Eagles in basketball games, and sometimes it propels them to a win. That's exactly what happened Saturday afternoon against Cameron.

The Eagles limited Cameron to just 15 first-half points, took a double-digit lead late in the half and never let it go en route to a 63-52 win over the Aggies in the Eagles' Nest.

The win gave OC – which entered the game No. 12 in NCAA Division II in scoring defense – a sweep of two key home games against Lone Star Conference divisional rivals Cameron and Midwestern State (Texas). OC (7-10, 6-7 LSC) is 11th in the 18-team league, with the top 12 teams earning LSC postseason berths, and the Eagles hold tiebreakers over the four teams immediately trailing them in the standings.

Cameron (5-13, 4-8) had entered the game with four road wins this season but the Aggies couldn't climb out of the big hole they found themselves in after going 5 of 32 (15.6 percent) from the field in the first half. OC had more blocked shots (seven) in the first half than the Aggies had baskets.

"These games were important to us," OC coach Kendre Talley said. "Sometimes I try not to talk about it, but I let the guys know, when it comes to postseason and thinking long-term, these are games we needed to win. They locked in and did a great job."

Once again leading the Eagles' defense was Will Lienhard. The senior center recorded his second double-double of the season with 12 points, 15 rebounds, three blocked shots and three assists. Five different Eagles blocked at least one shot while they limited Cameron to 29.7-percent shooting (19 of 64).

"Our zone has been really, really good," Talley said. "Our guys are getting more comfortable with it. … We've pretty much been faced with every different scenario. They guys are comfortable and they're trusting each other. Cameron did miss some shots, but we limited them to one shot, and that was big for us. The defense is what we depend on and it worked for us today."

Senior guard Aubrey Johnson continued his hot outside shooting for OC, hitting 4 of 8 3-point attempts and scoring 14 points (to go with a season-high seven rebounds) after his career-best 35-point outing on Thursday against Midwestern State. He hit his first three shots from behind the arc to help stake the Eagles to their early lead.

"He has been knocking down a lot of shots, but his teammates are finding him," Talley said. "This team is very unselfish."

Johnson buried two 3-pointers as OC started the game on an 8-0 run, then extended the lead to 19-9. Cameron didn't have a basket during the final seven minutes of the half and the Eagles closed the half on another 8-0 run, with Johnson's baseline jumper giving them a 30-15 lead.

OC's biggest lead came at 41-23 after a layup by Johnatan Reyes-Valdez with 14:21 left. Cameron twice pulled within 10 points, the latter time at 53-43 on a basket by Brock Schreiner with 4:31 left, but Johnson hit his final 3-pointer to start another 8-0 run to seal the win.

Dedrian Parmer Jr. added 12 points for OC. Kendall Scott led the Aggies with 13 points, while Schreiner scored 11.

OC will play its next three games on the road, starting next Saturday, when they visit divisional rival Arkansas-Fort Smith.

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

Game highlights: https://youtu.be/riuBJYawC2I