Photo by: Will Gentry
The Oklahoma Christian University men’s basketball team collected two losses on the road and one at home this past week, finding themselves in the midst of a seven-game losing streak.
The Eagles traveled to Odessa, Texas last Thursday and fell to the University of Texas of the Permian Basin. The team traveled to Lubbock, Texas following Thursday’s game to take on Lubbock Christian University and came away with another loss.
“We have not clicked over the last few weeks in the games,” Head Coach of Men’s Basketball Dan Hays said. “We are not going to click either if we don’t put in more work. It’s discouraging, but we will not quit. We will set a tone of confidence and stay united; it will work out. We have put ourselves into a hole and we have to dig ourselves out of it.”
The Falcons of Texas-Permian Basin (13-7, 7-5 Heartland) maintained a lead coming into the second half on Thursday in double digits over the Eagles. Oklahoma Christian came into the half and made a powerful run to shorten that lead to 61-58 with only 3:58 left on the clock.
The Eagles could not close and the Falcons came back, claiming the victory 74-65.
Through the third straight game the Eagles managed to rally in the second half to cut a deficit, but they could not put together a winning finish to top UTPB.
“The first half [against UTPB] was not too good for us,” junior guard Willie Harper said. “Every second half we come back stronger, but we just have to put the two halves together. We are always just playing good offense and then a half of good defense. To win, we have to start putting those together.”
Harper finished Thursday’s game with 12 points. Freshman John Moon came away with 13 points and 10 rebounds – his second double-double for the season. Senior Kendre Talley scored 19 points and had five assists for the Eagles.
“They [Talley and Moon] played great on Thursday,” Harper said. “Moon is a young player that gets better every day, and Kendre always plays a great game.”
The free-throw line brought UTPB success, but it did not help the Eagles along Thursday night. The Falcons were 23-30 at the line and Oklahoma Christian was 12-17.
The Falcons closed the second half at 40-21 after going on a 19-4 run over the Eagles.
Talley sank two free throws in the basket with 13:59 remaining to put the Eagles on a 16-2 run. UTPB responded by pushing the deficit back into double digits with seven minutes left in the game and the score at 61-49.
The Eagles’ final stand Thursday came with a nine-point run and freshman Jordan VanDeKop sinking two free throws, but the Falcons shut it down after a 3-pointer and an 8-10 run at the free-throw line to finish ahead of the Eagles, 61-58.
“We have been beat by good teams because we have not been able to put together 40 minutes of good basketball,” Hays said. “We will have 20 good minutes, and then we will have 20 bad ones.”
Saturday the Oklahoma Christian Eagles were in Lubbock, Texas to face Lubbock Christian for the second time this season.
The game Saturday was reminiscent of Thursday’s loss to UTPB as the Eagles once again fell short, trailing only to mount an ill-fated comeback attempt.
Saturday it was a 17-point deficit to LCU, and the Eagles cut the Chaparrals’ lead down to a couple points in five minutes. The Eagles could not maintain the performance however, and LCU took the game back to seize the 78-61 victory over Oklahoma Christian.
“Individually, the guys are playing well,” Hays said. “We just need to get the group together playing well for a long period of time. There is doubt when things don’t go right, but we have to dig in and grind it out. We have to fight through these moments because effort is not an issue. It is easy to splinter and get discouraged, but that’s not going to happen. We will fight it out.”
Talley led the Eagles in points on Saturday, finishing with a total of 16 points. Moon finished with 12 and Harper came out with 11 for Oklahoma Christian.
LCU swept the Eagles this season to win their fifth consecutive game and take fourth place in the Heartland Conference.
“The most frustrating thing about the losing streak is that we have lost to teams that we could have beat,” junior Casey Covalt said. “They are all tough games and most of them have been very close, and we play very well at times but just do not come out on top.”
The Eagles came into the second half trailing LCU 43-27.
Oklahoma Christian had a 17-2 rally that brought the score within two points with 12:55 still on the clock.
LCU answered with five consecutive 3-pointers, leading the score for the remainder of the game.
The Eagles were back in the Nest to face Rogers State yesterday.
The next three games at home will be the last regular season home games for the Eagles. Oklahoma Christian will host the NCCAA regional tournament in March.
“We are excited about the opportunity to host the regional,” Covalt said. “We want our fans to pack the gym and give us that home crowd feel. It’s always good to shoot and play in your own gym. We got lucky and we are going to take advantage of the opportunity. Our goal is to win three in March and make it to Indiana for the second straight year.”
The Eagles fell to Rogers State Thursday night with a final score of 77-74. Poor free throw shooting in the second half cost the Eagles turnovers that the Hillcats capitalized on to win the game.
VanDeKop, one of five players with points in double digits, lead the team in scoring with 17 points and six assists. Harper finished with 16 points and Talley had 16 points and 10 rebounds, his third double double of the season.
Moon finished with 14 points and seven rebounds. Tate scored 11 for the Eagles.
The Eagles shot 54 percent Thursday night and went 10 for 18 at the free throw line.
0
0
Be First to Comment