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Oklahoma City University Athletics

Oklahoma City University
Home Of Champions|73 National Championships
Rashaun Coleman
73
Oklahoma City University OCU 8-6, 2-4
83
Winner SAGU (Texas) SAGU 12-2, 4-2
Oklahoma City University OCU
8-6, 2-4
73
Final
83
SAGU (Texas) SAGU
12-2, 4-2
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Oklahoma City University OCU 33 40 73
SAGU (Texas) SAGU 37 46 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men's Basketball Comes Up Short at (RV) SAGU

Stars' Late Rally Falls Short as OCU Drops Road Tilt

WAXAHACHIE, Texas - The Oklahoma City University men's basketball team has given themselves opportunities to win each of their first four games after the Christmas break. The Stars have played three of their opponents to single digit margins, and on Saturday night at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, it looked like that scenario would play out again. Late free throws, however, helped stifle an OCU rally and leave the Stars on the short end of the scoreboard.

OCU (8-6, 2-4 SAC) closed the gap at SAGU (14-2, 4-2 SAC) with four points in a sic second span courtesy of Trae Bryant, but SAGU recovered to make six of their eight free throws in the final 40 seconds to take the win, 83-73.

After a sluggish start to the game for both offenses, back-to-back baskets from Kealon Claybourne and Eric Wattree - the latter from beyond the arc - gave OCU a 12-7 lead with 13:35 to play in the half. SAGU answered with a 7-0 run of their own to reclaim the lead at 14-12, but OCU followed that with eight straight points to claim the edge at 20-14. Over the final nine minutes of the half, though, OCU struggled to shoot the basketball, making only five of their final 17 shots in the half, and at the intermission, SAGU held the lead, 37-33.

The Lions scored five of the first seven points coming out of the locker room, but OCU bounced back quickly. Bryant scored twice, and A.J. Cockrell added a third basket as OCU cut the deficit to one at the 16:45 mark, with the Stars down 42-41. The Stars were unable to get the game tied, however, and moments later, a 7-0 SAGU run gave the Lions a 10-point lead for the first time in the game - 60-50 with 8:44 to play.

The SAGU lead reached as many as 12 on four occasions, but OCU kept the game from getting away, and the Stars mounted a charge in the final minutes of the game.Bryant connected from deep with 3:34 to play in the game, and a pair of Anthony Davis foul shots cut the deficit to seven with the clock showing 2:04. After Nykolas Mason made a pair of free throws to push the margin back to nine, Bryant drove to the rim and scored, then buried a 3-pointer after Wattree knocked the inbound pass loose to cut the deficit to 77-73 with 46 seconds to play.

Unfortunately for OCU, the Stars were unable to get any closer, and SAGU sealed the game at the foul line to take the win, 83-73.

Bryant led the Stars with 15 points in the game, Darrion Willies added 14, and Rashaun Coleman scored 10 as well. Willies had a team-high eight rebounds, and Coleman dished up four assists as well.

OCU made 29 of 72 shots in the game (40.3%) including eight of 30 attempts from outside the 3-point line. At the charity stripe, the Stars were 7-for-12 (58.3%). The battle of the boards proved key in the game, as SAGU held a 46-29 advantage in rebounding.

The Stars will return to Abe Lemons Arena on Tuesday night when they host Southwestern Christian University (9-4, 3-3 SAC). The game will follow the women's game, and is scheduled to tip off at approximately 7:45 p.m.
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