Despite the potential of a home court advantage after two weeks of road trips for The Eagles, early-game pressures from the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith unstrung the team, resulting in a 67-57 loss.
Shooting the ball proved to be Oklahoma Christian University’s antagonist as the team – to the disappointment of Head Coach Dan Hays – shot a combined 32.8 percent.
“I thought we played well but you just can’t win a game shooting 32 percent,” Hays said. “I don’t care who you play. And really except for John, even Elijah was 4-12 (in his shots) and if we’ll make some more shots we can play with the upper teams.”
The teams recorded a similar number of shots. UAFS scored 24 2-point shots and five 3-pointers while Oklahoma Christian recorded 22 shots inside the paint and eight from behind it.
The game-changing shots came from the charity stripe. The Lions sunk 14 free throws while the Eagles made five, failing to add vital points and fouling 16 times, which gave the Lions more free-throw opportunities.
“We were fine defensively and we kind of solved our turnover situation,” Hays said. “We just have to make shots. It’s a simple game.”
John Moon shone as Oklahoma Christian’s highlight of the night. He set a new personal record for rebounds with 15 and tied his record for blocks with six. Moon also made 22 points as he played the court for the entire 40-minute game.
Elijah Strickland added 10 points for the Eagles and recovered four rebounds along with teammate Zach Norris. Deric Shelton put nine points on the board and contributed three assists and two steals for the team.
Hays said the exhaustion of recent back-to-back road trips did not play a part in the night’s performance; the team was rested after having Monday practice canceled.
The Eagles will return to action and host Rogers State University on Saturday at 3 p.m. in the Nest.
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