Box Score
Box Score (html)
WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Trailing 23-5 less than eight minutes into the game, it did not appear that the SWOSU men's basketball team was going to close out Rankin Williams Fieldhouse in ideal fashion. The Bulldogs, however, continued to scrap and managed to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit to defeat Ouachita Baptist 72-68.
Michael Bradley and
Gary Inglett each scored 22 points in the victory but it took a team effort at both ends of the floor for the Bulldogs to get back within striking distance. OBU connected on 6-of-13 three pointers in the first half to build their lead, but the Bulldogs defense clamped down after the break, holding the Tigers to 24 points on 7-of-21 shooting.
The Bulldogs trailed 44-30 at the break and OBU quickly made it a 16-point game before the SWOSU comeback began with a
Kenyan Borders three-pointer. A 9-0 run, highlighted by a tip dunk from Inglett and a three from
Trent Washington got SWOSU within three at 50-47 with just over 14 minutes to play.
SWOSU finally took the lead after Inglett and
Rod Camphor connected on four straight free throws around the eight-minute mark. The teams went back-and-forth over the next few possessions before an 8-0 run erased turned a one-point deficit into a 68-61 lead with 3:04 to play. OBU continued to battle, cutting the lead to one in the final minute before Bradley and
Kenyan Borders hit 3-of-4 free throws to salt the game away.
"Tonight's game had nothing to do with X's and O's or fundamentals," Coach
Bob Battisti said following the win. "It was gut-check time at halftime and our guys answered, showing toughness and courage in the second half to get the victory."
The win is the fifth straight for SWOSU and it improves the Bulldogs to 10-4 on the year. The team also stays atop the Great American Conference standings at 7-1, two games clear of the competition as every other team in the GAC has at least three conference losses. Next week is another big week for the Bulldogs as they visit Southern Nazarene on Thursday before hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State next Saturday at the brand new Pioneer Cellular Event Center.
