FORT SMITH, Ark. (Jan. 11, 2022) – Last season, Oklahoma Christian won at Arkansas-Fort Smith with a lights-out shooting display. On Tuesday night, the Eagles prevailed again inside the Stubblefield Center – this time because of a disciplined defensive effort.

Mystifying Arkansas-Fort Smith with a zone defense from start to finish, OC built a late lead, then hung on for a 59-55 win, the Eagles' first on the road this season. It came against a foe that just 12 days earlier had stunned No. 3-ranked West Texas A&M on the same basketball court.

It was only the second win for OC (5-10, 2-3 Lone Star Conference) in 10 attempts at UAFS (8-8, 2-3) since the Eagles began competing at the NCAA Division II level with the 2012-13 season. The Eagles routed UAFS by 19 points last year with only eight available players, with one of them making nine 3-pointers. This time around, OC used only seven players while suffocating the Lions' offense.

Four Eagles scored in double figures, led by guard Moun'Tae Edmundson, who hit 4 of 8 3-point attempts and finished with 19 points – including the last four for his team, scored more than 4½ minutes apart.

After a baseline drive and dunk by Justin Nimmer with 5:10 left gave the Eagles a five-point lead, officials whistled Chris Rollins of UAFS for a technical foul with 4:48 left at the other end. Edmundson hit the ensuing free throws to put the Eagles up 57-50. That lead proved to be just big enough for OC, which limited the Lions to just five points in the final 5½ minutes.

Matthew Wilson's basket with 2:04 left pulled Arkansas-Fort Smith within 57-52. After an empty possession by the Eagles, Daryl McElrath scored on a put-back with 1:08 left, making it 57-54.

OC missed another shot before McElrath missed a dunk attempt that would have made it a one-point game. But Rollins rebounded and was fouled by OC's Nyk Madison. Rollins split a pair of free throws with 22.6 seconds left, leaving the Lions behind 57-55.

Edmundson missed the front end of a one-and-one free-throw opportunity with 20.5 seconds left, opening the door for the Lions. Wilson missed a 3-point attempt, though, and Madison rebounded for OC before Edmundson sealed the win with two free throws with 1.6 seconds left.

Wilson, who entered the game averaging 20.7 points per game, finished with only nine for Arkansas-Fort Smith. McElrath scored 13 points while Rollins had 10 points and 10 rebounds. The Lions made only 8 of 15 free-throw attempts, which proved costly, and shot 40.4 percent from the field, about six percent lower than their season average.

OC shot 44.9 percent (22 of 49) from the field. Madison scored all 12 of his points in the first half – keeping the Eagles within striking distance at 28-24 after a tough first 20 minutes on offense – and grabbed seven rebounds. D.J. Walter scored 11 points and Anthony Johnson added 10. OC's leading scorer entering the game, Drew Tennial, had only one point but contributed five of the Eagles' 12 assists to go with a team-high three steals.

The Eagles led by as many as seven points in the first half but the Lions scored 11 straight points in one stretch to take the halftime lead. UAFS led by as many as four points in the second half before Edmundson put the Eagles ahead for good at 44-42 with a 3-pointer with 9:00 left.

OC now leads the overall series – which dates back to 1960, when the schools competed against each other in the junior-college ranks – by a 12-11 count.

The Eagles will host LSC rival Western New Mexico on Saturday at 4 p.m.