USAO Dealt a Tough Two-Point Loss on the Road at WBU

PLAINVIEW, Texas – Saturday afternoon, the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma (8-13, 6-11 SAC) fought until the end, but were dealt a 76-74 loss on the road at Wayland Baptist University (13-8, 13-4 SAC). 

With seven games remaining in the regular season, the Drovers sit in a tie for ninth 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. 

The Drovers got off to a hot start and held an early lead, however the Pioneers found their groove and controlled a 23-17 advantage midway through the first half. The Drover began to gain momentum at the end of the half and the teams went into the break tied at 39-39.

Following halftime, the Drovers jumped out to a 48-47 lead with 15 minutes remaining in regulation. With 10 minutes to play, the score was even at 57-57, and the teams continued to trade baskets down the stretch. The score was even at 69-69 with 2:16 to play, but WBU was able to use a 7-5 run to claim the win on their home court. 

USAO's offense closed the game shooting 24-53 (.453) from the field, 7-16 (.438) from beyond the arc, and 19-26 (.731) from the free-throw line. In comparison, WBU shot 26-60 (.433) from the field, 10-31 (.323) from deep, and 14-15 (.933) from the charity stripe. 

The Drovers scored 24 points in the paint and hauled in 37 rebounds. In comparison, the Pioneers scored 28 points in the paint and grabbed 34 rebounds. 

USAO committed 13 turnovers, which led to 13 points for WBU. Meanwhile, the Pioneers fumbled the ball 14 times, resulting in 18 points for the Drovers.

USAO was whistled for 14 fouls, while WBU was called for 19 violations.

Mohand Ammad led the Drovers with an impressive 26-point performance on 9-17 shooting from the field. Ammad also hauled in five rebounds. Over the last seven games, Ammad has been one of the top offensive players in the Sooner Athletic Conference, averaging 19.1 points per game in that span. 

Ryein Kennedy and Lendy Holmes each concluded with 10 points and four rebounds. Tre Edwards added nine points on 3-4 shooting from the field. 

Jaden Harrell contributed six points, five rebounds, and seven assists. Harrell now has 398 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 4.7 assists per game.

Cade Allen and Tyler Cauley each scored five points, followed by Zach Hays with three points. 

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Drovers will now head to Texas Wesleyan University on Saturday, February 1 in Fort Worth, Texas. The women's game is scheduled to tip-off at 2:00 PM CT, followed by the men's game at 3:45 PM CT inside the Sid Richardson Center.

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