The Eagles took a 99-66 beating from Midwestern State University in what “ended up looking like a mismatch” on Friday.
The Mustangs – ranked in the nation’s top 25 NCAA Division II teams – shot and defended “unbelievably well,” according to Men’s Basketball Head Coach Day Hays.
“We just took a severe licking,” Hays said. “We got beat by a superior team tonight, simple as that. We played hard but they just didn’t let us play better than average and there is no way you can beat that team playing average.”
Oklahoma Christian University’s John Moon put the first points on the board after the tipoff, and the team held its lead for nearly two minutes before the tides turned. Halftime showed the Eagles trailing 55-35 and they continued to fall behind with 37.7 percent shooting accuracy to MSU’s 53.5 percent.
Hays pointed out specific players who held the team together during the game, including Moon and freshman Daniel Eibel.
“Elijah Strickland, this is his hometown and he played exceptional – and I thought Cameron Peters had one of his better games,” Hays said. “Those are the four guys who did good things for us.”
Strickland matched Moon with 16 points and the two pulled down two rebounds and four rebounds, respectively.
Peters scored eight points for the Eagles and recorded three assists and five rebounds. Eibel added eight points and swiped two steals from the Mustangs.
Jordan Rutherford contributed seven points and five rebounds while Chiza Ntirata grabbed six rebounds and provided two assists on the court.
Oklahoma Christian added 31 points in the second half against MSU’s 44, resulting in the 33-point deficit.
“It was just a – I won’t call it a mismatch – but it ended up looking like it was a mismatch,” Hays said.
The Eagles take a shot at redemption in a home game against Manhattan Christian College on Friday at 7 p.m.
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