The Eagles have bounce back and forth between wins and losses in the final month of the season, continuing with last night’s game against St. Edward’s University yielding an 80-61 loss.
Head Coach Dan Hays said St. Edward’s gave more effort on the court and played better than the Eagles, leading to a home-court victory for the Hilltoppers.
“We didn’t seem to have much flow to what we were doing,” Hays said. “Our energy level wasn’t very high and we just didn’t have what we needed to win on the road. We kind of played like the weather in Oklahoma.”
The Eagles shot more accurately than their opponent, shooting an overall 49 percent as opposed to the Hilltopper’s 41.4 percent, but St. Edward’s took more shots that lead to more points.
Three Eagles scored into the double digits with John Moon leading the way.
Moon recorded 20 points for the night — a game-high, and blocked five shots. Eric Randall shot 15 points, grabbed six rebounds and grabbed the Eagles’ only steal of the game. Jordan Box shot 2-2 at the free-throw line and sank two of the team’s 3-pointers, contributing to his 14 total points.
Jordan Rutherford snagged the most rebounds for the Eagles, nine total, while recording two points and two assists.
Freshman Tripp Fuller said he was optimistic about the game, but it would be a battle on the court.
“The hardest part about playing St. Edward’s is their ability to drive to the basket and draw fouls,” Fuller said before the game. “Staying out of foul trouble will be key for [the] game.”
Oklahoma Christian University stayed out of foul trouble, recording 11 fouls to the Hilltoppers’ 15.
The Eagles trailed 37-27 at halftime after shooting nearly 43 percent. While they bumped up to 56.5 percent in the second half, they fell back to a 19-point loss by the end.
Hays said he looked optimistically to the team’s final game on Saturday even though it will prove to be more challenging than recent games.
“The team on Saturday is better than these guys [St. Edward’s] so we’re going to have to muster up a good mental and physical effort to stay with those guys,” Hays said. “But we’ll give it a go.”
The Eagles have consistently won every other game starting with their loss to Lubbock Christian University on Feb. 5. If the trend continues, it could be a positive final game for the team.
The Eagles finish out the season playing the University of Texas-Permian Basin on Feb. 28.
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