OKLAHOMA CITY (Nov. 20, 2021) -- Historically, basketball games between Oklahoma Christian and Northeastern State have been tight, taut affairs, and Saturday proved to be no exception – although it took some time to develop.
Down 21 points early in the second half, OC staged a stirring rally, closing to within two points in the final seconds and having a chance to tie as the buzzer sounded, but Northeastern held in for a 74-71 win in the Eagles' Nest.
OC (1-3) lost despite several strong performances.
Drew Tennial fueled the Eagles' comeback, scoring 18 of his 22 points after halftime, while
Karlyn Kenner added 15 points and
D.J. Walter posted a double-double with 13 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and three steals.
Nyk Madison had seven points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Eagles shot a strong 53.6 percent (15 of 28) from the field in the second half, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome a 34.5-percent shooting performance in the first half.
"Today we just did not come out ready to play," OC coach
Kendre Talley said. "Rough starts have been consistent for us and I need to do a better job. I am very proud of the way we fought back and gave ourselves chances to win the game. If we can put two halves together, we will be fine.
"We are figuring things out and chemistry takes time. We are not where we want to be, but we will continue to grind and get there."
Playing its first game at OC since November 1993, Northeastern (3-1) never trailed and steadily built its lead throughout the first half. The RiverHawks led 33-14 after a basket by Jaxon Jones at the 6:40 mark and were up 42-26 at halftime. When Rashad Perkins hit a 3-pointer 90 seconds into the second half, the RiverHawks held a 47-26 advantage.
Most of the rest of the game belonged to the Eagles. A three-point play by Kenner pulled OC within 57-47 with 9:24 left. Northeastern rebuilt its lead to 15 points at 66-51 with six minutes left and was up 68-54 with 5:12 left on a basket by Tylor Arnold (20 points, 10 rebounds), but that proved to be the RiverHawks' last basket.
OC kept chipping away and a short baseline jumper by Kenner got the Eagles within 71-69. Dillon Bailey hit two free throws for Northeastern with 16.7 seconds left before
Moun'Tae Edmundson scored with 7.6 seconds left to again make it a two-point game.
Bailey missed the second of two free throws with 5.3 seconds left, giving OC a final chance, but Kenner's 3-point attempt at the buzzer from about 25 feet was off to the right.
Emeka Obukwelu had 17 points and nine rebounds for Northeastern, while Perkins scored 14 points. Eight of the 19 OC-NSU games have been decided by five or fewer points.
OC will visit archrival Southern Nazarene on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
