OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University powered its way to a 67-44 triumph over Oklahoma Christian on Saturday at Abe Lemons Arena in the Backyard Brawl.
The Stars, ranked 21st in NAIA Division I men's basketball, allowed their season-low point total and built a 38-24 rebounding advantage in moving to 11-5, 4-4 in the Sooner Athletic Conference. Oklahoma Christian fell to 10-5, 4-4.
Nate Flowers, a senior from Waldorf, Md., posted game highs with 14 points and 16 rebounds to lead OCU. Brandon Moton, a junior from Beaumont, Texas, added 13 points and five assists off the bench, and Bryant Williams, a senior from Austin, Texas, had 11 points and seven rebounds for the Stars.
Oklahoma Christian had one double-digit scorer in Will Reinke, who had 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. OCU outscored Oklahoma Christian 30-16 in the lane. Oklahoma Christian managed 36 percent shooting from the field.
“We talked about with their size, and how we had to match how active they are,” OCU assistant coach Quinn Wooldridge said. “Nate Flowers brings activity inside. He wakes up in the morning wondering where his next rebound will be.”
OCU rebounded from a three-game losing skid. The Stars' last two losses came away from Abe Lemons Arena.
“We were able to get a few things going,” Wooldridge said. “Being on the road is not the place where you want to be trying to figure things out. Things can stack up on you.”
Williams set the tone by working for OCU's first points on an alley-oop from Cesar Cuevas. Williams scored next on a transition dunk.
OCU broke away from Oklahoma Christian early with a 14-0 run. Dee Proby ignited the Stars' splurge with a jumper to put OCU up 15-12 at 10:11 left in the first period.
Moton and Flowers dropped in back-to-back treys to cap the Stars' run and give OCU a 27-12 advantage with 5:16 remaining in the first. Proby had another lay-in, and Williams added a putback in that span.
Williams threw down another jam in the halfcourt to put the Stars up 56-39 with 5:18 left in the game.
Shane Rogers put an exclamation point on the victory by throwing in a last-second 3-pointer from 28 feet out. That buzzer beater provided OCU its largest lead of the game and the final margin.
OCU meets 12th-ranked Southern Nazarene at 8 p.m. Thursday at Abe Lemons Arena.
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