OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University upended Southern Nazarene 84-73, snapping the Storm's 14-game win streak Saturday at Abe Lemons Arena.
The Stars, ranked 17th in NAIA Division I men's basketball, improved to 15-7, 13-6 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Fifth-ranked Southern Nazarene went to 23-5, 18-2. Oklahoma City's balanced attack resulted in five players scoring in double figures.
Corey Bingham, a junior from Lynn, Mass., and Chris Brown, a senior from Spencer, Okla., led OCU with 16 points. Junior forward Kavon Lytch of Brooklyn, N.Y., posted his sixth double-double since joining the team in January, scoring 15 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. Al Graham of Jackson, Miss., had a game-high six assists in the contest.
Xavier Alexander led Southern Nazarene with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Deonta Black had 15 points, while John West chipped in 14 points and six assists for the Crimson Storm.
In front of a crowd of 2,000 strong at Abe Lemons Arena, OCU coach Kevin Morrissey was “pleased that we were able to defend the home court against the No. 5 team in the nation.”
The first half was marked by impressive play by junior center Bryant Williams, who recorded 10 points and four blocks, leading the way for a 10-point halftime advantage for OCU. Even with the advantage, Coach Morrissey knew of the toughness of his opponent.
“I told the guys at halftime they're really good being in deficits and then coming out of them,” Morrissey said. “They're really good at making adjustments at halftime.”
SNU started the second half with the hot hand, going on a 15-5 run to tie the game at 43-43 with 14:41 to play. The visitors maintained the advantage until the seven-minute mark when a crucial 3-point bucket by Graham. Jeremy McCarty followed with a pair of free throws to give the Stars the tie at 59-59.
OCU then went on a 10-1 run to cushion the gap and never looked back.
With two minutes to play, Brown chipped in a crucial shot, his only 3-pointer of the night, as the shot clock was winding down to give OCU a six-point advantage.
Oklahoma City shot 44.4 percent from the field on the night, connecting on 30-of-34 from the free-throw line.
Morrisey is preparing his team for not only the final meetings in the regular season, but also looking toward postseason possibilities.
“That's the kind of game we need to have in order to beat a team like SNU, and we need to be able to do that on a consistent basis because that's what you're going to need to win games down the stretch and make it to the national tournament,” Morrissey said.
Up next for OCU is a home game with USAO on Monday night at 8 p.m.
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