Box Score (html)
 
EDMOND, Okla. – A one-time 17-point deficit wasn't enough to halt SWOSU's first road test of the season. Timely second-half shooting allowed the Bulldogs to rally back and defeat the Central Oklahoma Bronchos, 77-73, on Tuesday night inside Hamilton Field House.
 
Keyshawn Perkins swiped the ball from Cornell Neal with just 31 seconds in the game and dished it to Markeise Champion on the wing. Champion, who'd been locked in all night, drained his fifth 3-pointer of the game, givning SWOSU a 74-73 lead, their first of the second half. Ayo Ojo iced the game with three free throws, and the Dawgs completed the comeback.
 
A slow start saw the Bulldogs score just seven points over the first 12 minutes of play, before Markeise Champion broke up the monotony with a three-point basket to cut the Bronchos' lead to 21-10. Wesley Franklin followed that effort up with a long two-pointer, and Emeche Wells capped the 14-0 run for the Dawgs with a steal and tomahawk slam. Another quick 5-0 run by SWOSU thanks to a trey from Collin Jennings and a pair of free throws by Keyshawn Perkins pulled the game with five points, with the Bulldogs down 33-28 with 33 seconds to play. A pair of late Broncho free throws made the game 35-28 heading into halftime.
 
SWOSU had another brief scoring slump to start the second half, but busted out of it with an 11-0 run. Back-to-back threes from Champion and Jennings were punctuated by a two-handed slam by Juwan Newmen. Though the Bronchos answered with a 5-0 run of their own, a three from the corner by Perkins tied the game up with 9:23 left in the game.
 
The Bulldogs played solid team defense down the stretch, causing five timeouts in the last seven minutes. No turnover proved more crucial than Perkins' in the final minute of the game which led to Champion's game-winning make from long range.
 
"I was really proud of the way our team didn't get rattled, stayed together and played to the final buzzer," said SWOSU head coach Bob Battisti. "The key to the second half was our bigs, Ayo and Juwan, they played well and got some finishes, but it came down to our playmakers and Markeise keeps hitting timely shots and allowed us to take the lead at the right time off the steal by Keyshawn. We are going to take people's best shot when we go on the road and I expect the same next week when we go to Monticello."
 
Champion led the Bulldogs in scoring with 15 points, all from long range, and had four rebounds and three assists. Martell Collins and Newmen both tallied 13 points, and Wells poured in 10 points. Ayo Ojo and Collins led the team with seven rebounds each, as the Dawgs narrowly outrebounded the Bronchos 40-39.
 
SWOSU shot 51.5 percent from the field and 56.3 percent from downtown in the pivotal second half. The Bulldogs hit 12 three-pointers compared to just five by the Bronchos, proving the difference in the victory.
 
The Bulldogs take the rest of the Thanksgiving week off, returning to action Thursday, December 3rd against the University of Arkansas at Monticello. Tip-time is set for 7:30 p.m.