CHICKASHA, Okla. – Terence Bonhomme went for 28 points, four rebounds and four assists and helped boost Oklahoma City University to a 114-108 double-overtime victory Thursday night at the USAO Fieldhouse, giving the Stars a share of first-place in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
Six different players reached double figures in the scoring column for the Stars, including Ivan Saicic, who knocked down two key free throws to give OCU a 110-108 lead with under a minute to go in the second overtime. Eric McCollum got a steal on the following possession, forcing the Drovers to foul the rest of the way. Jonathan Ellis, who finished with 12 points, hit two shots from the charity stripe to give the Stars a four-point advantage and lock down the win.
Oklahoma City, ranked 15th in NAIA Division I men's basketball, advanced to 16-5 overall and 9-4 in the SAC. Seventh-ranked USAO dropped to 18-4 overall and 9-4 in conference play, surrendering its lead of first place to both OCU and Texas Wesleyan.
Saicic, a senior from Belgrade, Serbia, tallied 19 points and seven rebounds for the Stars. Samuel Williams produced 18 points and six rebounds and Lou Dunbar notched 10 points.
A 3-pointer from Ridell Camidge set the Stars ahead 13-9 in the early going on Thursday's contest, but the Drovers responded with a 10-0 run to take a six-point lead with 8:15 remaining in the first half. The triple was Camidge's only points of the half, but the senior from Wilmington, N.C. bounced back to end the night with 17 points.
OCU slashed down the USAO lead and eventually gained a three-point advantage when a layup from Bonhomme put the Stars ahead 22-19 minutes later. USAO turned some late Oklahoma City turnovers into points and ran away with a lead that got up to 10 points to end the half.
Oklahoma City guards Ellis and Mark Howell kept the conference's third best scorer, USAO's Brandon Scott, in check for most of the first half. Scott headed into the break with just six points and three turnovers. Scott ended the day with 18 points on 4-of-12 shooting and committed seven turnovers.
The Drovers extended their lead to 12 points with 14:09 left in the second half, but the Stars roared back on a 24-8 run to take a 67-63 lead with just over seven minutes to play. The two teams traded buckets for the remainder of the game, until USAO converted on a contested shot in the paint to tie the game at 84 with 13.5 seconds left and force overtime.
Camidge scored to give OCU a 94-92 OCU with 50 seconds left in OT. USAO drove to the basket and got fouled, then made both free throws to tie it at 94 apiece. Ellis pulled up from the left elbow and saw his potential game-winning shot bounce off the front of the rim as time expired in the first overtime period.
The Stars return to action at 3 p.m. Saturday for a matchup against Mid-America Christian at Abe Lemons Arena.