Drovers Earn Important Road Victory Against Southwestern Christian

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Thursday evening, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (8-10, 6-8 SAC) hit the road and earned an 80-70 triumph against Southwestern Christian University (4-13, 2-12 SAC). With the win, the Drovers improve to 24-5 against the Eagles all-time, dating to January of 2014. Furthermore, USAO has emerged victorious in each of the last 16 meetings since February of 2019.

With 10 games remaining in the regular season, the Drovers sit in a tie for seventh place in the Sooner Athletic Conference standings. The top eight teams in the conference qualify for the conference tournament, and the top four seeded teams will host the first round, prior to the tournament being moved to Langston University for the semifinals and finals. 

On Thursday, the Drovers jumped out to an early lead and held a 19-14 advantage midway through the half. After 20 minutes of action, USAO controlled a 40-29 lead at halftime. 

Following the break, Southwestern Christian appeared reinvigorated and trimmed USAO's lead to only 58-52 with 10 minutes to play in regulation. The Eagles used a 6-0 run to pull the score even at 58-58 with 8:12 to go. However, USAO responded with a 14-2 run to hold a 12-point advantage with 3:57 remaining. The Drovers went on to close the game strong and secured the victory on the road.

USAO's offense closed the game shooting 28-56 (.500) from the field, 7-15 (.467) from beyond the arc, and 17-22 (.773) from the free-throw line. In comparison, Southwestern Christian shot 27-64 (.422) from the field, 12-30 (.400) from deep, and 4-5 (.800) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers scored 40 points in the paint and hauled in 34 rebounds. In comparison, the Eagles scored 26 points in the paint and grabbed 34 rebounds. 

USAO committed 13 turnovers, which led to 21 points for SCU. Meanwhile, the Eagles fumbled the ball 16 times, resulting in 26 points for the Drovers.

USAO was whistled for seven fouls, while Southwestern Christian was called for 16 violations.

Five different Drovers scored in double figures, led by Mohand Ammad's 16 points on 7-13 shooting from the field. Tre Edwards and Lendy Holmes each scored 14 points, followed by Cade Allen with 11 points and four rebounds. Tyler Cauley scored 10 points on 5-6 shooting from the field and hauled in six rebounds. 

Ryein Kennedy concluded with six points, eight rebounds, and four assists.

Zach Hays contributed five points and four rebounds, while Jaden Harrell added four points, four rebounds, and five assists. Harrell now has 386 assists in his career, ranking second in program history, only trailing Stephon Hall (417). Furthermore, he currently ranks first in the Sooner Athletic Conference with 5.1 assists per game.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will return to Brisco McPherson Court on Monday, January 20 as they host UNT Dallas for a double-header. The women's game is scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 PM CT, followed by the men's game at 2:45 PM CT, inside Drover Fieldhouse. 

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