Photo by: Henoc Kivuye
The old adage, “The only way to get out of a shooting slump is to keep shooting,” seemed exactly what the Oklahoma Christian University men’s basketball team needed. After dropping two straight games over Thanksgiving break, Oklahoma Christian came out strong against Dallas Christian College to earn a decisive win Tuesday.
The Eagles may have been suffering from a Thanksgiving turkey hangover, as they struggled in their two away games over the break.
Friday after Thanksgiving, the Eagles took on the Oklahoma City University Stars, facing off at the University of Central Oklahoma.
The Eagles’ struggles behind the arc began in the latest game against the University of Central Oklahoma, with the Eagles’ only shooting 12 percent from the three.
Oklahoma Christian would not find their zone against the Stars either. The Eagles shot 5-21 from the three, posting 23 percent for the game. This, combined with the Stars’ best shooting for the season, from behind the arc, equaled a bad night for Oklahoma Christian.
The game was close during the first half, as Oklahoma City held a slim 36-33 lead. Back-to-back baskets by freshman Jordan VanDeKop helped put the Eagles ahead 38-36.
The Eagles kept the lead later in the second half 48-46, with just under 12 minutes left.
This proved to be the last time Oklahoma Christian would hold the lead, as the Stars went on a 12-0 run to take the lead for good.
VanDeKop led the Eagles in scoring with 18 points. Standout senior point guard Kendre Talley had 14 points and four assists. Junior Nick Tate chipped in 11 points and nine rebounds. Freshmen John Moon and Jordan Rutherford both had seven points.
The Eagles would not have to wait long for another chance to redeem themselves.
The holiday hangover continued for Oklahoma Christian the next day against the Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm, a team they had already defeated earlier this season.
Oklahoma Christian’s shooting woes continued as well. Shooting 6-20 from behind the arc for only 30 percent could not get the job done against a Crimson Storm team that shot 53 percent from the three-point range. Southern Nazarene went on to pull a 100-75 victory over the Eagles.
The Crimson Storm became the first team to score in triple digits against the Eagles since the 2009 season.
Southern Nazarene started the game hot, but the Eagles did not panic. After junior Willie Harper’s 3-pointer, the Eagles pulled ahead 11-9. Southern Nazarene led the Eagles 43-38 at halftime.
The Crimson Storm raced out to a quick second half lead 53-42 before Oklahoma Christian retorted with an 11-3 run to make it 58-56.
The Crimson Storm came back with a 5-0 run themselves, and the Eagles would never recover.
The final score failed to reflect Moon’s best game of his career, posting 13 points in 27 minutes. Tate also broke out of his shooting slump, scoring 25 points while pulling down four rebounds.
Talley had 16 points and four assists.
The Eagles would return home for a much-needed game in the friendly confines of the Eagles’ Nest, breaking out of their three-game shooting slump to beat Dallas Christian 90-43.
The trio of scorers the Eagles counted on in their first three victories – Tate, Harper and Talley – were back to their old ways, posting a combined 55 points. Every player that suited up for the Eagles received playing time in the game.
Junior Casey Covalt scored nine points, shooting 50 percent from behind the arc.
Tate led all scorers with 20 points; close behind was Harper with 19 and Talley with 16 points and six assists.
Two freshmen earned their first starts for the Eagles – Moon and Rutherford. Moon scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
The Eagles have three more games before the semester break, weather permitting – as of Wednesday, the matchup against Cameron University tomorrow has been delayed.
Lubbock Christian University will be the Eagles’ opponent Saturday night, a team Oklahoma Christian is familiar with.
The Eagles were in the Sooner Athletic Conference together with Lubbock Christian before both teams moved to NCAA Division II.
Monday the Eagles will take on the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, a team the Eagles split with last year in their head-to-head match ups.
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