Men’s basketball drops first game of road series

The Eagles recorded another loss Thursday night when the men’s basketball team took on the league-leading Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals.

The first of four games on the road over a two-week period, the Eagles started off their journey with a late night game, ending in an 80-65 loss.

Oklahoma Christian University’s Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dan Hays said while the team gave effort, it wasn’t enough to take on the Chaparrals’ offense.

“We played hard — we didn’t play real smart,” Hays said. “In the second half they [Lubbock Christian] shot 64 percent, and you just can’t let someone do that.”

According to Hays, his inside players shot well while the team’s perimeter shots struggled. These inside players include lead scorer Eric Randall and the 7-foot John Moon.

Randall took the lead in the team’s scoring with 16 points including two 3-pointers, nine rebounds, and one block. Perimeter shooter Jordan Box contributed 15 points for the Eagles, two assists, two steals and two rebounds.

Moon rounded up the top three scorers with 14 points, shooting 4-5 at the free-throw line, grabbing seven rebounds and one block.

Jordan Rutherford and Elijah Strickland added five points each for the team, followed by Luis Lopez, Casey Covalt, and Cameron Peters all contributing three points.

Tripp Fuller said the team’s game plan was simple: the Eagles need to play good defense to beat the Chaparrals’ good offense.

“The hardest part about playing LCU is definitely their motion offense,” Fuller said. “It’s very unique and hard to guard, especially for long periods of time. Every guy needs to be locked in on defense and guard his man.”

Oklahoma Christian worked to keep its opponent at bay after starting off the game with a seven-point lead, but the halftime score showed the Eagles behind 36-24 due to their 35.5 percent shot accuracy.

Despite bumping up to just over 46 percent in the second half, the Eagles couldn’t beat Lubbock Christian’s offense when countered with the 64 percent shooting accuracy of the Chapparals, securing their lead and taking the win.

Hays said this season has been tough for the Eagles but they won’t stop trying hard to win.

“We’ve just been knocked down so many times we’re just having a hard time getting back up on our feet,” Hays said. “We just have to keep working, keep trying, and we get another chance Saturday.”

The Eagles play Oklahoma Panhandle State University on Feb. 7 at 3 p.m.

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