Men's Basketball 1/26/2012 11:37:00 PM

OCU narrowly falls to Oklahoma Christian 64-63 in overtime

Stars lead for majority of game, but come up short in overtime

Shane Rogers posted a team-high 15 points against Oklahoma Christian Thursday.

OKLAHOMA CITY – Oklahoma City University fell to Oklahoma Christian 64-63 Thursday in an overtime thriller at Abe Lemons Arena.
Senior Shane Rogers buried a 3-pointer from the top of the key to bring OCU within one point with seven seconds to go in the game. After Will Reinke missed a pair of free throws, point guard Charlton Jones took the ball up the court and missed a runner from the right wing.
The loss moves OCU to 9-8 overall and 6-7 in Sooner Athletic Conference play. OCU suffered its third straight defeat.
“I felt like our game plan went really well in the first half, but in the second half there were some minor things that go on in basketball that you have to cover,” OCU coach Dionne Phelps said. “I'm really proud of my guys' effort. I thought they fought the whole time, and that is what we have to do to be the best that we can be.”
Rogers hit from behind the 3-point line to open the game for the Stars and give them an early lead. The teams traded baskets for much of the first half.
Jones put the Stars up 15-12 at the 10:10 mark and sparked a 14-5 OCU run. Junior Cory Nicholson capped the run with a tip-in layup to make the score 27-17 with 3:27 to go in the first half.
OCU maintained that lead the rest of the half and took a 29-21 lead to the locker room at halftime.
Jones led the Stars with seven points, five rebounds and four assists, and sophomore Tim Morton added six points and six boards in the first half.
The Stars held Oklahoma Christian to 29 percent shooting from the field and 1-for-13 from 3-point land in the first half.
OCU continued to maintain its lead in the second half, leading by as many as 12 points.
Kendre Talley made a layup to cut the Stars' lead to six with 4:19 to go in the half and started Oklahoma Christian on an 8-4 run. Nick Tate capped the run with a 3-pointer to cut the OCU lead to 53-51 with 2:17 to play.
Senior Orlan Jackman converted a pair of free-throw attempts to put the Stars up 56-53 with 36 seconds remaining in regulation. Oklahoma Christian answered with a 3-point jumper from Brandon Troutman to tie the score at 56-56 with 20 seconds left on the clock.
Jones held the ball at the top of the key to give OCU the last shot, but didn't get a clean look and the game went to overtime tied at 56-56.
In overtime, Tate hit four straight from the free-throw line to give the Eagles a 64-60 lead with 21 seconds to go.
Rogers drained a 3-point jumper to cut the Oklahoma Christian lead to 64-63 with seven seconds remaining in the first overtime period. Reinke missed a pair of free throws and left door open for OCU.
Junior Elhadji Wade corralled the missed free throw and found Jones streaking up the floor. Jones got a clean look from the right wing but missed as time expired, giving Oklahoma Christian the 64-63 victory.
Rogers posted a team-high 15 points on 60 percent shooting from the floor. Jones added 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists and Jackman chipped in with 10 points and five rebounds.
“We just have to get back to work,” Phelps said. “There is no one in this league that is going to feel sorry for us, so we have to hurry up and have a quick turnaround and be ready for Saturday.”
The Stars will hit the road to take on Northwestern Oklahoma State at 4 p.m. Saturday at Percefull Fieldhouse in Alva, Okla.
Boxscore

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