DALLAS (Jan. 16, 2021) – Oklahoma Christian appeared to be well on its way to yet another win over a ranked opponent – a common staple of recent seasons for the Eagles – on Saturday afternoon at No. 15 Dallas Baptist (Texas).
But at the first-half buzzer, DBU freshman Ricky Lujan hit a desperation shot from about 40 feet, and the momentum swung the way of the Patriots. Thus energized, DBU – which had trailed OC by 14 points in the first half – seized control early in the second half and pulled away for a 93-81 win over the Eagles at the Burg Center.
Dallas Baptist (7-1, 7-1 Lone Star Conference) completed a two-game sweep of the season series against OC, evening the all-time series between the Patriots and Eagles – which dates back to 1975 – at 21 wins apiece. Senior guard Chandler Jacobs, the LSC's leading scorer, led the way for DBU with 25 points and 10 rebounds.
OC (1-7, 1-7) limited Carson Hughes – who scored a career-high 36 points in the Patriots' win at OC on Thursday – to 11 points. But another DBU player rose up to match a career scoring high on Saturday, as Jalen White scored 18 points on 5-of-12 3-point shooting. Lujan, another sharpshooter, scored 19 points for DBU, which outscored the Eagles 51-30 in the second half.
The Eagles' freshman trio of
Elijah Elliott (22 points),
Marco Foster (17 points) and
Nyk Madison (14 points) each scored in double figures, as did junior
D.J. Walter (15 points). OC shot a sizzling 67.9 percent (19 of 28) in the first half but cooled to 34.4 percent (11 of 32) in the second half. Meanwhile, the Patriots shot 53.1 percent (17 of 32) in the second half, a total that included 10 3-pointers.
The Eagles hit DBU with an early haymaker, jumping to a 9-0 lead in the first 2½ minutes and maintaining a sizable lead for most of the first half. A steal and layup by Elliott put OC up 41-27 with 4:12 left in the half before the Patriots closed within 51-42 by halftime thanks to Lujan's long 3-pointer.
Dallas Baptist opened the second half on a 16-5 run and took the lead at 58-56 on a 3-pointer by White with 15:35 left. Elliott quickly tied the game for OC, but the Eagles then went scoreless for the next three minutes and Dallas Baptist scored nine straight points. OC came no closer than eight points the rest of the way. Elliott, OC's starting point guard, picked up his fourth foul with 11:09 left sat out nearly four minutes as a result.
Consecutive 3-pointers by Foster pulled OC within 82-74 with 6:39 left, but the Eagles managed only one point over the next four minutes, even as Dallas Baptist's offense also was stuck in neutral, allowing the Patriots to maintain a comfortable lead.
OC now will travel south on Interstate 35 to Laredo, Texas, to play makeup games against Texas A&M International on Monday and Tuesday. The games originally had been scheduled for Dec. 11-12 but were postponed due to the conference's COVID-19 protocols.
